


Veni, Vidi, Vici

by mythological



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Found Family, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 29,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28260888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mythological/pseuds/mythological
Summary: Magic is scary. It's unknown. It's dangerous.Magic is something that you learn to make your own, lest it consume you from the inside.And Donghyuck knows that. Witnessed it firsthand, even. And so, when Mark Lee enters their academy at the age of sixteen, completely sane—albeit a little confused—despite not knowing how to control his magic at this age, Donghyuck doesn't trust him.Not one bit.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 13
Kudos: 353
Collections: the misfits' holiday exchange





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [angstonly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstonly/gifts).



> my dearest jac-  
> you already know who i am, without a doubt, so i won't bother trying to hide myself from you.  
> i've been wanting to write something for you for the longest time, and i'm so glad that the exchange _finally_ gave me a reason to do so <3  
> you've seen my tweets on priv crying over this fic so... i hope that you will enjoy this accidental-monster of a fic as much as i enjoyed writing it LOL ><  
> love you always!!
> 
> as always, thank you to 🍍 for beta'ing this for me and putting up with my general chaos during the writing period... you're the best <3
> 
> *title is latin for _i came, i saw, i conquered_

The tie around his neck feels tight and Donghyuck wants to loosen it so, _so_ badly. He shifts in his seat, trying to get comfortable so he can breathe, but his mother is quick to place a hand over his knee.

“Stop fidgeting,” she orders quietly. The weight of her words don’t lessen despite the low volume and Donghyuck stops moving.

The rest of the ride to the academy is spent in stifling silence, and Donghyuck thinks that they can’t arrive soon enough.

His mother breaks the silence when they’re almost at the gates. “You won’t disappoint me, will you, dear?”

Donghyuck clenches his jaw. “No, mother.”

“Good.” She turns towards him, studying his appearance and clicking her tongue in distaste. “You should’ve cut your hair before the break ended. You look so unkempt, dear. Be sure to get it cut as soon as you can, okay? You don’t want to walk around looking like you weren’t raised properly, do you?”

“No, mother.”

Satisfied, she reaches out to fix his crooked tie before settling back into her seat, staring out at the same view that she’s seen for the past seven years. They arrive at the gates, and Donghyuck takes a deep breath. Time to put on a show.

It’s scary how quickly she switches to her “doting mother” persona the second they exit the car. She fusses over him, playing her part as perfectly as usual. But Donghyuck can see the way her eyes are empty as she pretends to mourn her son spending the next few months away from her.

“Have a good term, dear,” she says, dusting off some imaginary lint off his shoulders. She leans in for a hug and whispers into his ear, “And _don’t_ disappoint me like your sister did.”

Donghyuck’s breath hitches at that and he forces himself to hug her back.

“Yes, mother.”

｡:°ஐ

When Mark wakes up that morning, everything goes to shit. Kind of.

“Um. Mom?” Mark squeaks out, voice cracking as he looks around his room in slight fear. “Mom!”

He hears his mom running up the stairs, his bedroom door thrown open a few seconds later. “What’s wrong—oh. Oh dear.”

Mark whimpers. “Help.”

His mom examines his room for a few seconds while Mark tries not to freak the fuck out, and when she starts laughing, Mark thinks that this is it. He’s finally lost it after all those hours of studying, and this is all just a really bad, super realistic dream.

“Oh, my. What did you do, Mark?” his mom asks, looking way too amused for someone whose son is currently on the verge of breaking down.

“All I did was sneeze,” Mark whimpers. “And then… this.”

The ‘this’ in question looks a little bit like this: his bedroom floor, the walls, his desk, parts of his bed—all frozen in ice. If Mark were in the right state of mind, he’s sure he’d be more appreciative of the way the ice sparkles against the sunlight coming in from his window. Objectively speaking, it all looks very pretty, but Mark thinks that it would look even prettier if it weren’t ice covering his entire room, and if it hadn’t come from him from _sneezing_.

His mom’s laughter gradually dies out and she carefully walks across the room to sit on his bed. The part that isn’t covered by ice, at least.

“Well, I guess it was time we told you,” she sighs, reaching out to run her fingers through Mark’s bedhead. He leans into her touch, feeling incredibly lost and confused. “You just never showed any signs of magic, so we thought you hadn’t inherited the… _gifts_ from his side of the family.”

“What are you talking about?” Mark asks weakly, almost scared of what her answer will be. “What gifts? What’s going on?”

“Your father,” she starts carefully, “comes from a long-line of, well, witches.”

Mark stares. His mom stares back. It’s all very awkward and tense for a few seconds, with his mom expecting Mark to bolt any second and Mark waiting for his mom to say “just kidding!”

“What’s today’s date?” Mark asks, startling his mom with the sudden question. “Is it April Fool’s? Is that what it is? Are you and dad playing a prank on me right now? Wait, but how did you guys manage the ice thing—”

“Mark, honey.” His mom grips his hand tightly. “It’s not a joke. I would say we can show you proof, but I think that this,” she gestures to the ice that is slowly starting to melt, “is proof enough. We never told you because we thought you were just a normal human like me, but I guess that isn’t the case. Your grandma was always convinced you’d just be a late bloomer, and I guess she was right,” she finishes with a gentle smile. “It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?”

Swallowing with difficulty, Mark nods. “Um, just a little bit. Why didn’t you guys tell me before this happened? You could’ve just told me that oh, hey, by the way—your dad is a witch! Surprise!”

His mom hums. “When you were younger, it was because it just wasn’t safe to tell you. Their world has very strict laws about this, you see, and so your father and I decided to wait until you were old enough to handle knowing everything, I suppose. Your father actually brought it up a couple of days ago, and we were going to tell you soon. But I guess you beat us to it, huh?”

“Am I dreaming?” Mark whispers. His mom pinches his arm in response, _hard_ , and Mark yelps out in pain. “Ouch!”

“You are not dreaming,” she tells him, patting his hand one last time before getting up. “Your father will explain more of the specifics when he’s home from work. Stay home from school today; I’m sure that this is a lot to take in.” She glances around the room. “Go get some more rest. Do you want to sleep on the couch or in the guest room?”

“Um, the couch, I guess.”

“Okay. I’ll go get some spare blankets. Come down when you’re ready, okay? Let’s get some food in you before you go back to sleep.”

Her eyes soften and she gives him a gentle smile and walks out of the room, leaving Mark to stare blankly at the wall, feelings of confusion and shock swirling around inside him.

“What the fuck,” he whispers into the abyss.

The abyss stays silent.

｡:°ஐ

“Are you guys going to go out this weekend?” Jaemin asks as he carefully juggles the small balls of fire he’d conjured. Jisung leans away from him with distrust written all over his face, and Haechan tries not to spit out his water in amusement. “I’m running low on peppermint and thyme.”

“Just grow some,” Renjun grunts and buries his head in his arms, trying to take a nap. “It’s not even that hard.”

“Oh, I’m _sorry,_ ” Jaemin snaps sarcastically, his fireballs dissipating into smoke at the loss of concentration. “Not everyone can have a green thumb like you, Huang. Some of us accidentally set things on fire more often than not.”

“Well. At least he’s self-aware,” Donghyuck offers when Renjun raises his head to glare at Jaemin. “There, there. Go back to sleep, Jun.”

“I’m going to kill him.” Renjun scowls. “I don’t care if he’s your best friend since birth, Hyuck. I’m going to kill him.”

Jaemin just offers him a saccharine smile in response and Donghyuck sighs, shoving Renjun’s head back down into his arms. Jisung ignores them, used to the chaos after the years they’ve all been together. It gets quiet, the four of them going back to what they had been doing before Jaemin's interruption. Donghyuck continues to rewrite his notes, trying to decipher his handwriting.

“Where are Chenle and Jeno?” Jisung scrunches his nose as he looks towards the school. Donghyuck looks up from his notes and follows his gaze. “They're taking a while.”

“Probably got caught up talking to one of Chenle's million friends.” Jaemin waves Jisung's concerns away. “I'm sure they'll be here soon.”

Not two seconds after the words leave Jaemin's mouth, Donghyuck spots Chenle's bright orange hair and Jeno's shocking blond one exit the building. He squints when he realizes that Chenle is running across the lawn, and remembers with growing dread that he had asked for a soda.

“Why is he running,” Donghyuck hisses, slamming his pen down. “Jaemin, tell him to stop running!”

Jaemin just gives him a deadpan stare, as if asking Donghyuck ' _are you serious_?'

“Guys.” Chenle practically crashes into the table, trying to catch his breath. Jeno follows him at a more leisurely pace, and Donghyuck prays that Jeno is the one holding the drinks and not Chenle. “Guys, big news.”

“If my soda explodes on me, I'll set you on fire, Le,” Donghyuck promises severely and takes the plastic bag from Chenle. There are six drinks inside— _including_ Donghyuck's soda. “Zhong Chenle!”

“Your soda isn't what's important right now!” Chenle wails loudly. Renjun jumps in shock, slamming his knees against the picnic table. Both Donghyuck and Jaemin wince, while Jisung throws a wad of paper at Chenle's nose. “There are bigger things at hand, Donghyuck!”

“Like what?” Renjun snarls, and Chenle flinches, looking at Renjun with wide eyes. “This better be important or _I'll_ be the one to set you all on fire. I just want to take a nap; is that too much to ask?”

Jaemin rolls his eyes. “The question is, why would you take a nap here instead of your room? Did you really think that we would stay quiet enough for you to sleep, Huang?”

“Sleep with one eye open tonight, Jaemin,” Renjun says with faux sweetness. A shiver goes down Donghyuck's spine at Renjun's voice. “It's your funeral.”

“Hi, guys.” Jeno finally reaches the table and sets down the plastic bag with their snacks. “Did Chenle tell you the rumors yet, or are you all just arguing about nothing again?”

Chenle whines, sidling up to Jeno. “They're not listening to me,” he complains. Jeno pats him on the head sympathetically. “Tell them to listen to me!”

“Listen to Chenle,” Jeno says mildly.

Donghyuck sighs, mourning his soda that's sure to explode when opened. “What is it, Le?”

Chenle pushes Jisung to the side and sits down excitedly. Jisung looks displeased but shifts over anyways, forcing Jaemin to also move to the side. “We're getting a new student.”

Even Renjun looks interested at Chenle's words. Jaemin frowns, leaning forward so he can look at Chenle. “What do you mean we're getting a new student? It's the middle of the first term!”

Jeno gently nudges Donghyuck so that he makes room for Jeno to sit down as well. “We were on our way back when we heard Felix talking to Hyunjin,” Jeno explains. “And, well, you guys all know about Felix. He knows everything before anything is even announced.”

“So I asked Lix what he meant by _new student_ ,” Chenle gushes, looking a little too excited. “He told me that he overheard the professors talking about it when he went to go drop off some stuff for his homeroom professor. His name is Mark Lee. Apparently, he's a late bloomer. He's a year older than you guys!”

That causes Renjun to frown. “A late bloomer?” he demands. “ _And_ he's older than us? Do you know how incredibly rare that is? We get late bloomers all the time, but the typical cut off for them is fourteen at the _latest._ If he's a year older than us, then that means he's sixteen, doesn't it?”

“Is that even possible?” Jaemin asks out loud. “For your magic to not act up for so long. How does your magic stay hidden for sixteen years?”

“How did he find out?” Jisung asks the question that they were all thinking of. “Late bloomers almost always find out in super unusual ways, right?”

“Get this,” Chenle says, absolutely out of his mind from the excitement. “He sneezed and covered his entire room in _ice_.”

｡:°ஐ

Magic is a fickle thing. Powerful and unyielding, yet gentle and full of warmth. If harnessed and controlled correctly, magic can be your biggest ally in life. On the other hand, if you don't learn how to control your magic, then it can consume you whole like an unforgiving fire.

Donghyuck has seen it firsthand, just what it's like for someone to lose control of their powers—to lose control of their _mind_ from not learning how to harness their powers properly. Witnessing his older sister slowly succumb to the madness had been the leading factor in Donghyuck's core foundation: that magic isn't something you use something as trivial as _instincts_ for. It's something you learn to make your own, something you spend hours and hours practicing in order to perfect it. It's not something beautiful like it is in the movies; it's not pretty sparks and glitter that flies out of your wand when you cast a spell.

Magic is scary. It's unknown. It's dangerous.

Magic is something that you learn to make your own, lest it consume you from the inside.

And Donghyuck knows that. Witnessed it firsthand, even. And so, when Mark Lee enters their academy at the age of sixteen, completely sane—albeit a little confused—despite not knowing how to control his magic at this age, Donghyuck doesn't trust him.

Not one bit.

“Is that him?” Jaemin leans in and whispers. They stare at the wide-eyed kid being shown around the school by Seungmin from the welcoming committee. The entire hallway parts for them, and Donghyuck notes that the kid's— _Mark's_ —ears are bright red. Presumably from being stared at. “Looks harmless.”

Renjun rests his elbow on Donghyuck's shoulder, leaning in so that he can get a closer look. “I don't feel an _ounce_ of magic from him. Are they sure about this?”

Donghyuck shrugs, earning a displeased grunt from Renjun when he's jostled. “Who knows? I mean, Felix did tell us that the Headmistress went to go check herself, so, guess he really is a super late bloomer.”

He knows that he sounds bitter about it, something that doesn't escape Jaemin or Renjun's notice. Renjun shifts so that his head is resting on Donghyuck's shoulder while Jaemin reaches down to take his hand, squeezing in an attempt to comfort him. It works, and Donghyuck is glad for his friends.

“Where's Jeno?” he asks. “Stuck babysitting again?”

“He had morning duty,” Jaemin says. “He told us this morning before leaving, remember?”

“Oh, right.” Donghyuck nods. “Left me all alone to clean up after Jisung's mess, that traitor.”

“Poor you.” Renjun pats Donghyuck's head in faux sympathy. “Alright, let's go. Enough ogling at the new kid. We're going to be late for homeroom.”

Donghyuck allows himself to be led towards their classroom, glancing back one last time to get another look at Mark and finds that Mark is already staring at him, confusion written all over his face. Donghyuck frowns at him, silently daring him to keep staring. Mark looks away first, and that pleases him.

He allows himself to get lost in the debate Jaemin and Renjun are having over the general usefulness of fairy tears, and whether it's worth the pain to get or not, and all thoughts of Mark are shoved to the back of his mind.

｡:°ஐ

Magic, Mark comes to learn, is _not_ just the sparks and glitter that he's seen in the movies.

It comes with rules and boundaries, but most importantly, it comes with a shit ton of responsibility that Mark isn't sure he can take on.

“You're a rare case, Mr. Lee,” the Headmistress tells him. She’d introduced herself when she visited his house to confirm whether or not Mark had magic, but Mark doesn't remember her name. “Most people discover their magic during their childhood. Usually before they turn nine years old.”

 _I'm sixteen,_ Mark thinks to himself with growing panic. _I'm sixteen, which means I'm already years behind and I don't know a single thing about magic or what I can do or_ —

“Of course, late bloomers are not an anomaly,” the Headmistress continues. “We do get enough of them popping up here and there that it isn't completely unknown. You'll be taking an aptitude exam before getting placed in a class fit for you. As for academics, it'll be similar to what you're used to, no doubt. Math and science don't change just because you're magic, after all.”

She offers him a wry smile, one that's supposed to be comforting, but all Mark can do is grimace in response. He feels like he's in way over his head, and he wishes that he could go back to last week and stop himself from sneezing that morning.

“Your belongings have already been placed in the dorm hall that you'll be staying in,” the Headmistress tells him. He should really try harder to remember her name, Mark thinks. “You'll be sharing a hall with six other boys. You'll be staying with them throughout your time at the academy, so I do encourage you to try getting along with them. If you're lucky, they'll become something like your second family.”

Mark bows his head. “Thank you.”

“Seungmin is outside the door ready to show you the way to your dorm and around campus. You will start attending classes regularly tomorrow, and your aptitude exam will take place at the end of the week.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Mark answers. When the Headmistress nods and gestures for him to leave, Mark gets up and bows again before heading towards the door.

“Oh, and Mark?”

Mark looks back, his hand frozen on the handle.

The Headmistress offers him a more genuine smile this time. “My name is Boa. Kwon Boa. But you may refer to me as Headmistress Kwon.”

Mark turns red, wondering if she can read his mind. “Thank you, Headmistress Kwon.”

She waves her hand, dismissing him for good this time. Sure enough, Seungmin is leaning against the wall across from the office, waiting for him to finish. When Mark stumbles out of the office in a daze, Seungmin looks up and grins, pushing himself off the wall.

“Finished?” he asks kindly. “I was told to take you to the dorms first. You're in hall 7D. I'm in the hall next to yours, so if you have any questions you'll know where to find me.”

“Thanks.” Mark grimaces. “This is a lot.”

“It is, isn't it?” Seungmin sympathizes, gesturing for Mark to follow him. “I can only imagine. I grew up with magic, but I guess if you've gone your entire life not knowing about its existence it's probably overwhelming, huh?”

“Just a bit,” Mark says under his breath. “I feel like I'm in way over my head. Not to mention she said something about most of you finding out about this all when you're, like, nine years old?”

Seungmin winces. “That's the standard cut-off age, yeah. Most of us go to regular primary school until our magic starts to show. That's when we transfer to the academy to get training. A lot of kids actually show signs of magic before they turn nine, though, so it's really just a case-by-case sort of thing.”

He knows that Seungmin tells him this to help him feel better, but Mark feels even worse. He feels like he's intruding in a world he doesn't belong in, and he just wants to go back home.

“The guys you'll be living with are really nice, too,” Seungmin continues. “We're all friends, actually. They'll take care of you.”

Mark feels a bit like he’s trespassing in their hall. “Headmistress Kwon told me that there are already six guys living there. Won't they get annoyed that another one is joining them?”

Seungmin snorts at that. “Please. I live with seven other guys. The halls are really big. Most of them house around eight to nine people, so you'll be fine.”

That comforts Mark a tiny bit. “Will I have a roommate?”

“No clue.” Seungmin shrugs at that. “Depends on how they decided on room assignments in the beginning. If they all decided they wanted their own room, then you'll probably have a roommate. If not, then there's a possibility you might get your own room.”

Once they reach the dorm halls, the two of them find a boy waiting for them outside, kicking at the floors. When he hears them approach, he looks up and Mark raises an eyebrow at his youthful appearance.

“Hi, Seungmin,” the boy greets shyly. He ducks his head in a bow towards Mark before turning back to Seungmin. “I'm just supposed to show him his room.”

“Hey, Jisung,” Seungmin greets back cheerfully. “No problem. I'll wait out here?”

“You can come with,” the boy—Jisung—says. “None of them would mind. They're not here, anyways. They're all in class. I'm Jisung, by the way,” Jisung introduces himself.

“Hi.” Mark gives a tiny wave. “I'm Mark.”

“I know.” Jisung gives him a small smile. Mark blinks.

Jisung leads them inside the dorm hall, unlocking the door using what looks like a student ID. He turns to Mark to show him and says, “When you get your ID, make sure to tell the office workers which dorm hall you're staying in and they'll make sure your ID can unlock the door. Do you know what hall we are?”

“7D,” Mark recites. Seungmin grins in approval and Jisung nods.

They enter the hall and Mark thinks that calling this place a mere _dorm hall_ is heavily understating it. The “hall” in question opens up into a common area complete with two sofas and an armchair by the fireplace. There's a small, communal kitchen to the side and a staircase by the wall leading up to where Mark assumes the bedrooms are.

“There are three rooms on the ground floor and three rooms upstairs,” Jisung informs him. “Your room is on the ground floor. Is that okay?”

Mark nods. “Yeah, that's fine. I'm okay with wherever.”

Jisung smiles. “That's good, because the movers already put all your stuff in the empty room.”

Mark cracks a small smile at that.

Jisung shows him around the rest of the dorm hall, showing him where the bathrooms are located and explaining some of the basic house rules to him.

“We rotate for chores,” Jisung explains. “Bathroom cleaning, kitchen duties, cooking—things like that. Wait, can you cook?”

Mark grimaces. “I'm not allowed in the kitchen back home. For everyone's safety and best interest.”

“Okay.” Jisung nods. “That's okay. I can't cook either. You'll just have to do double clean-up duty then, if that's okay with you?”

“That's fine,” Mark reassures Jisung. “I don't mind at all.”

Jisung studies him for a second. “You seem like a nice guy,” he declares, which makes Seungmin snort. “So I should warn you.”

“Were you not going to warn him if you didn't think he was nice?” Seungmin raises an eyebrow, and Jisung merely shrugs at that.

“Some of the other guys who live here might not be... exactly _happy_ ,” Jisung explains. “That you're here, I mean. It's nothing really personal against you. Just something that happened to him in the past that'll make him wary of you. Don't mind him, though. He's really all bark and no bite. Usually.”

Seungmin winces. “Oh, wait. Are you talking about—?”

Jisung sighs. “Yeah.”

Mark wonders if there’ll ever be an end to his confusion. “Oh. Okay.”

“Everyone else will be nice, I hope,” Jisung says in a hurry, trying to reassure Mark. “Jeno is super nice and Renjun will be alright as long as you stay away from his plants.” He gestures to the copious amount of greenery near the window and fireplace. Mark offhandedly wonders if keeping plants near the fireplace is _smart_. “Jaemin is a hit or miss, to be honest, but he won't bother you unless you bother him first. Chenle is the literal devil but he's alright, I guess.”

Mark feels like his brain is going to explode from the information overload. “Okay. Thanks for the heads up, I think?”

Thankfully, Seungmin takes pity on him and pats him on the arm. “Don't worry about it. You'll be fine. Jisung, you should get back to class. I'm going to go show him around campus and then take him for lunch.”

“Okay.” Jisung looks at Mark hesitantly, one last time. “If anything, I'll be here,” he offers shyly. “It's nice to meet you, Mark.”

“It was nice meeting you too, Jisung.” Mark smiles at him. Jisung walks them out of the dorm hall and waves before heading off towards the main building. He and Seungmin watch him for a second before Seungmin turns to him with a bright smile.

“Well, ready to see the rest of campus?”

Mark wants to cry. Just a little bit.

｡:°ஐ

Renjun grabs him by the elbow as soon as class is over, leading him out into the hall with the rest of the masses. He waves when Jaemin and Jeno look up, silently telling them that he'd deal with this. “You saw Jisung's text, right?”

Donghyuck grunts. Renjun rolls his eyes.

“If he has Jisung's stamp of approval, I think he's good to go.” Renjun nudges Donghyuck towards the direction of the campus store. “He did say that nothing about the kid—oops, I mean _Mark_ —gave him bad vibes.”

He knows that Renjun is right; Jisung does have a rather trustworthy _radar_ for these kinds of things. But that doesn't mean that Donghyuck has to play nice. “Good for him. I'm sure he'll fit in. Don't expect anything from me, though.”

“Oh, please.” Renjun snorts and shakes his head, throwing an arm around Donghyuck's shoulders. “If anything, we'll be proud of you if you don't try to pick fights with him on purpose.”

“So the bare minimum, basically,” Donghyuck deadpans.

Renjun smirks. “Exactly.” 

The store is still relatively empty when they enter, the lunch rush not having arrived yet. Donghyuck is quick to duck into the snack aisle to pick out his favorites as well as snacks for everyone else while Renjun goes to the beverage corner to get the drinks.

The lunch crowd comes in just as Donghyuck and Renjun are paying, and they're quick to leave the store before they can be trampled by hungry teenagers. When Renjun holds his hand out, Donghyuck digs through the plastic bag to take out the bread he got for him.

“He looked nice enough,” Renjun comments as he tears the plastic wrapping off the bread, taking a big bite. ”Chenle’s excited to meet him, at least. Oh, hey. Isn’t that him over there with Seungmin?”

Donghyuck frowns, turning in the direction that Renjun is pointing at. Sure enough, he sees Seungmin pointing at the school store, mouth moving while Mark nods at the explanation presumably being given to him.

“Yo, Seungmin!” Renjun calls out before Donghyuck can stop him. He shoots Renjun a glare, which is pointedly ignored. “What’s up? You missed class.”

Seungmin looks up when called and grins, gesturing to Mark before jogging up to them. Mark follows close behind. “Sup, Renjun. Hey, Donghyuck.”

Donghyuck gives him a tight smile in response, offering a tiny wave.

“Is this the new kid everyone’s talking about?” Renjun asks, appraising eyes turned towards Mark despite knowing exactly who he is. At Seungmin’s nod, Renjun grins widely at him. “Hi. I’m Renjun.”

Recognition fills Mark’s eyes at Renjun’s introduction, and Donghyuck assumes that Jisung has already told Mark about the rest of his hallmates.

“I’m Mark,” he introduces himself. His eyes shift over to Donghyuck as if expecting him to introduce himself as well, but all Donghyuck does is stare at him blankly. “Nice to meet you.” He shifts his attention back over to Renjun when he seems to sense Donghyuck’s hostility, and Donghyuck wants to smirk. At least he isn’t oblivious.

Seungmin gives him a disapproving look and Donghyuck just gives a miniscule shrug in response. Nobody told him that he had to play _nice._ If Mark wanted Donghyuck’s respect, he would have to earn it.

Noticing the atmosphere, Renjun throws an arm around Donghyuck’s shoulders to steer him away from Mark and Seungmin. “You’ll meet the other guys later tonight, I guess,” he says. “Have fun with the rest of the tour. See you later, Minnie.”

Seungmin waves goodbye while Mark seems frozen. Donghyuck nods at Seungmin but doesn’t even look at Mark before Renjun whisks him away towards the greenhouse where everyone is waiting for them. Once they’re out of earshot, Renjun retracts his arm and pinches Donghyuck’s side.

“Ouch!” Donghyuck hisses, jumping away from Renjun. “What was that for?”

“I’m not going to ask you to pretend to like him, but are you really planning on glaring holes into him every time you see him?” Renjun sighs. “We’re going to be living with him for the next few years, you know.”

“Good for him,” Donghyuck grumbles, face contorting into a scowl. “I won’t care as long as he stays out of my way. And away from my stuff.”

“Please. As if you or Jaemin would allow him near your room.” Renjun rolls his eyes. “Not to mention he won’t even be on the same floor as you.”

Donghyuck hums, opening the door to the greenhouse. “Good,” he says as they walk in. Renjun snorts.

｡:°ஐ

It’s tense. Mark squirms under the intense gazes of his new hallmates—all except one, at least.

There’s one boy who barely looks at him. And when he _does_ look at him, there’s nothing but disdain in his eyes, and Mark doesn’t understand why.

“Well.” It’s Renjun who breaks the silence. “We should all introduce ourselves. I’m Renjun, but you already know that.” He tries to subtly nudge the boy sitting next to him, but Mark sees the action.

“I’m Jeno.” He smiles at Mark, and Mark notes the eye-smile. “Welcome to Celestia Academy.”

“Happy to be here,” Mark mumbles.

“Hi! I’m Chenle!” Chenle beams at Mark. “Did you really cover your entire room with ice by sneezing?”

“ _Chenle_ ,” Jisung scolds, slapping Chenle’s thigh. “You can’t just ask that!”

Mark gapes. “Wait, how did you know that?”

“Oh.” Chenle gives him a sympathetic look. “Dude, _everyone_ knows that. It’s not everyday we get a late bloomer transferring in, you know? Especially not one who’s over fourteen.”

Jisung clears his throat. “People started talking when the rumors first started going around,” he tells Mark. Then, quietly, he adds: “Everyone knew who you were by the end of the week.”

Well. That would explain the stares, Mark thinks tiredly. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Silence, then when it’s clear that the last two people wouldn’t be introducing themselves, Jisung gestures towards them awkwardly. “The one with pink hair is Jaemin. The one sitting next to him is, uh, Donghyuck.”

It’s unnerving, the way Jaemin stares at Mark with the blankest expression he’s ever seen on anyone. Donghyuck still isn’t looking at him, and Mark doesn’t know if he should introduce himself or not, considering Jisung had just told him that everyone in the academy already knows who he is.

“You’re probably tired and wanting to unpack your stuff, right?” Renjun asks, giving him a strained smile. “Do you have your schedule?”

“Uh, yeah.” Mark takes out the paper that he’d shoved into his pocket and grimaces at how wrinkled it is. “They said it’s a temporary one.”

Renjun gets up, walking over to him to take the paper from his hands. He hums. “You’ll probably get your final schedule after you take your aptitude exam. Do you know where all your classes are?”

“Seungmin showed me, but I’ll probably get lost.” He takes the paper back when Renjun holds it out for him. “I don’t suppose this place has a map I can use?”

That gets a laugh out of Renjun, thankfully. “No. It’s okay. One of us will be able to show you to your first class, and hopefully someone in your class will show you to your next one.” He clears his throat, stepping away and glancing back at Donghyuck, who’s now staring at them with an indecipherable look in his eyes. “We’ll let you go so you can unpack now.”

The dismissal is blatant, though to Renjun’s credit, it’s not like he’s trying to hide it. Mark just gives them an awkward bow and shuffles out of the common room. Jisung had shown him his room earlier when he had gotten back from dinner with Seungmin and his friends, and Mark finally lets out the breath he’d been holding since walking into the dorm hall.

It doesn’t take Mark too long to unpack his belongings. He shoves his clothes haphazardly into the drawers that came with the room and props his guitar on the wall next to his desk. He carefully places a picture of his family on top of his desk and tries to blink away his tears.

He feels homesick. It hasn’t even been 24 hours since he arrived at the academy, but Mark finds himself already missing his parents and his own room back home. The walls here are too bleak. Mark thinks he’s going to be sick.

A knock on the door jolts him out of his pining thoughts, and Mark wipes his eyes to make sure there aren’t any tears before opening the door. It’s Jisung, and Mark finds himself smiling without realizing.

“I just wanted to say good night,” Jisung says nervously, fiddling with his fingers. “And ask if you ate dinner. We ate earlier before you got here, but I should’ve waited to make sure you—”

“Jisung,” Mark interrupts gently. “Don’t worry. I ate with Seungmin and his friends before they walked me here. Thanks for checking up on me, though.”

“No problem,” he says quietly. “I’m sorry about, uh, Donghyuck and Jaemin. They’re really nice usually, I swear. It’s just that neither of them are too fond of strangers in general and—”

Mark cuts Jisung off for the second time that night. “It’s fine, really,” he reassures him. “You don’t have to explain them to me; I understand. I would be the same, too, if I were in their shoes. In all of your shoes, actually. It’s okay.”

Jisung deflates at that and lets out a relieved sigh. “Thank you,” he says. “For being understanding, I mean.”

“Of course.” Mark hesitates before reaching out and patting Jisung on the head. He gets a radiant grin in response, and Mark finds himself feeling better. “Thanks again for checking up on me.”

“No problem.” Jisung steps back, and Mark lets his arm fall back to his side. “I’ll see you in the morning, then?”

“Yeah.” Mark moves to close the door when he remembers something that’s been bothering him since he arrived at the academy. “Hey, Jisung? Can I ask you something?”

Jisung turns back to him, tilting his head. “Sure. What is it?”

“The, uh. Headmistress. Headmistress Kwon?” Mark stumbles over his words. “Can she… can she read minds?”

Jisung gives him a mysterious smile in response. “Who knows?”

Mark pales at his words and Jisung laughs.

｡:°ஐ

As soon as Mark disappears down the hall and they hear his bedroom door shut, Renjun turns to Donghyuck and Jaemin with an unamused expression.

“Seriously, guys?” he sighs, padding over and plopping himself down in between Chenle and Jisung. “I thought we agreed that we were going to play nice.”

“ _I_ didn’t promise anything,” Donghyuck says stiffly. “You told me to not pick a fight with him, and I didn’t.”

Jaemin raises his hand. “I also didn’t promise anything,” he adds. At Renjun’s glare, Jaemin merely shrugs. “What? I don’t have to be his friend or anything. I’m sure he’ll find plenty of those even without us. I don’t want to waste my energy pretending to be friendly to someone I don’t care about.”

“He seemed nice,” Chenle pipes up, turning to Jisung for confirmation. “They didn’t tell you anything bad about him, right?”

Jisung shakes his head, shrinking into himself when Donghyuck and Jaemin’s attention shifts over to him. “They didn’t tell me anything. Nothing that we didn’t already know, at least.”

Donghyuck’s eyes soften when he sees that Jisung is scared and he tries to school his expression into a more neutral one. “Okay. That’s good, at least. Thanks for letting us know, Jisung.”

Even Chenle, who actively chooses to stay ignorant of conflict, glances between Donghyuck, Jaemin, and Jisung before reaching over Renjun to take Jisung’s hand.

“You did well, Sungie,” Chenle chirps.

“Don’t mind the two grumps, Jisung.” Jeno gives him a gentle smile. “You know how these two can be.”

“Hey,” Jaemin complains. Donghyuck pouts at Jeno, who doesn’t even spare a glance their way. “How rude.”

“Alright, well, I’m going to bed.” Renjun gets up from the couch, grimacing when he stretches out his muscles. “I’m in charge of watering the plants tomorrow, so I have to head out early. Good night, nerds.”

One by one, everyone piles out of the common area and towards their own rooms. Donghyuck sees Jisung heading towards the ground floor bedrooms instead of his own bed upstairs. He keeps silent.

“I don’t know what to think,” Jaemin admits. “About Mark, I mean. Like, I know Jisung said he’s nice and Chenle seems to like him too, but it’s like Renjun said earlier. I don’t feel a single ounce of magic from him either. Granted, I’m pretty bad at picking up on things like that usually, but what if it’s all a fluke?”

Donghyuck doesn’t answer for a minute as he changes into his pajamas. “It’s probably because his magic acted up so late,” he answers, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice. “We’ll probably be able to feel it soon when he starts getting training.”

Once he’s done changing, Donghyuck crawls into bed, tugging the blanket over himself. Across the room, he hears Jaemin getting into bed as well and he closes his eyes, trying to fall asleep.

“I don’t like him,” he says quietly—so quietly that he’s not sure if Jaemin hears him.

“I know,” Jaemin answers just as quietly so as to not disturb the peace. “I know, Duckie.”

Donghyuck curls up into a ball, only relaxing slightly when his bed dips from Jaemin’s weight. He welcomes the extra warmth and clings onto Jaemin, who simply holds Donghyuck tighter without complaint.

｡:°ஐ

Donghyuck doesn’t see much of Mark during the first two weeks. Of course, that’s attributed to the fact that Donghyuck avoids having to interact with him like the plague, but it seems that Mark has picked up on Donghyuck’s general hostility towards him and is also actively avoiding him as well.

Jaemin also doesn’t go out of his way to interact with Mark, though he does do more than Donghyuck if he happens to run into Mark in the dorm hall. A civil nod of acknowledgement is shared here and there, but not much more than that.

“He took his aptitude exam last week,” Renjun informs them. Donghyuck hums, his attention focused on tossing a ball up and down. “Passed with flying colors, would you believe it? I couldn’t feel anything from him all week, and then bam! Suddenly, I can’t _stop_. I asked him to rein in his goddamn energy but the poor dude had no idea what I was talking about.”

His face is scrunched up in displeasure, and Donghyuck feels a pang of sympathy for his friend. Renjun had always been more susceptible compared to the rest of them to other people’s magic, and the general flow of energy.

Chenle brings Renjun in for a side-hug. “I made him a charm that’ll help mute it temporarily,” he tells him. “Just until he learns how to control the magic flowing out of him.”

Renjun thanks Chenle and Donghyuck looks away, gazing around the greenhouse instead. Next to him, Jaemin is taking a nap while Jeno is sitting across from them, trying to get his transfiguration spell to work. Jisung is over in the corner, sitting on the ground and gesturing wildly with his hands while scowling at seemingly nothing.

“Sungie?” he calls out. “Is everything okay?”

Jisung ignores him. Donghyuck frowns.

Renjun looks up at the lack of response, eyes darting over to the corner. “Jisung,” he tries getting his attention as well. “Park Jisung.”

When Jisung continues to ignore them, Donghyuck sits up, accidentally jostling Jaemin in the process.

“What?” Jaemin grunts. “What’s happening?”

“It’s Jisung,” Donghyuck says under his breath, eyes not leaving Jisung. “I think they’re bothering him again.”

Jaemin jolts upright, now completely awake. Jeno and Chenle also peer over at Jisung in worry, although he remains oblivious to their stares.

They know better than to surprise Jisung when he’s communicating with the other side, but Donghyuck so badly wants to go pull Jisung away from the ghosts who always pester him with their needs. He knows that Jaemin feels the same way when his hand darts out to grab Donghyuck’s own, squeezing so tightly that he winces.

Then, Jisung stands up so suddenly that Donghyuck startles. “We need to go,” Jisung says. He doesn’t give any explanation, only grabs his belongings and rushes out of the greenhouse. “Hurry!” he calls over his shoulder before leaving.

Donghyuck doesn’t hesitate to follow after Jisung. He’d come back for his things later.

Jisung is all the way at the entrance of the main building by the time the five of them exit, and Donghyuck has to cheat and use magic to give him an extra burst of speed.

“What the hell is going on?” Renjun huffs as they try to catch up to Jisung. Jisung’s always been the fastest out of them, and they all struggle to keep up with him as he zips through the hallways.

None of them question Jisung’s actions, though, because there’s always a reason behind them, no matter how odd it may seem in the beginning. They follow Jisung into the more secluded section of the building, the part that’s usually reserved for the seniors studying for their career exams.

“What are we doing here?” Chenle whispers.

“I don’t know,” Jeno answers.

Jisung leads them to where the rows of lockers are, and the sight they’re met with makes them all come to a halt.

Donghyuck’s eyes widen, frozen in place as he tries to process what’s happening. He sees and hears Renjun and Jeno flying past him, Renjun yelling at the group of boys in front of them. Jisung’s already in the middle of it all, pushing the boys away from Mark and shielding him.

“Fucking hell,” Jaemin swears, and rushes forward as well. 

“Stay back,” is all Donghyuck says to Chenle before he’s running towards the crowd as well. He shoves one of the bigger boys away, raising an eyebrow in silent challenge when the boy tries to get back up. He stays down; wise choice, Donghyuck thinks.

It doesn’t take them long to round the group of boys up. Once the coast is clear, Chenle scampers over and throws himself into Mark’s arms, no doubt checking if Mark is okay. Jisung hovers next to them, wringing his hands anxiously.

The rest of them stare down at the boys, and Donghyuck’s jaw clenches. Sure, he may not be the nicest person in the world, nor is he particularly fond of Mark, but even he isn’t so shitty that he’d bring a group of five boys to gang up on one single person.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Renjun snarls, stepping forward. There is fire in his eyes that promises these boys a very painful experience. Donghyuck does _not_ want to be in their shoes right now. “Did you guys need a power trip? Were you feeling so insecure about being so weak and pathetic that you decided to gang up on _one_ person? Someone who can’t even protect himself?”

The one in the middle—Donghyuck realizes with a start that he recognizes him; they share a class, and his name is Hyunwoo—speaks up, voice full of contempt. “He doesn’t belong here and you all know it. Discovering his magic at this age? Don’t joke around. There’s no way he would be sane if he got it the _normal_ way like us. _You_ of all people should know, Lee.”

He turns to Donghyuck as he says that, lips curling up into a cruel smirk, and Donghyuck feels white-hot rage ripping through him.

But he doesn’t let it show. He’s better than that, and Donghyuck will not strike when it’s not to his advantage. The area they’re in is too open, no matter how secluded. It’s only a matter of time before people would start gathering, attracted by the noise, no doubt. So he chooses to bide his time.

“Names,” he says calmly, not allowing a single sliver of his rage to show. He glares down at Hyunwoo, who looks back up at him with foolish defiance. “Names and years, _now_.”

He'd strike where it hurts, Donghyuck vows as Jeno takes note of the offenders' names and years. 

Lee Donghyuck is known for a lot of things, but he is not known for his mercy.

Once the offenders are taken care of and Renjun quite literally kicks at them, causing them to scramble away, they turn their attention to Mark. Chenle’s already taken care of the worst of the injuries, Donghyuck notes as he takes in the sight of dried blood around Mark’s nose and the droplets on his uniform.

“How long?” he asks, breaking the tense silence. “How long has this been going on?”

“Mark,” Renjun says sternly when Mark looks away from them. “Answer the question. How long have they been bothering you?”

Mark cringes as he stands up, Chenle and Jisung helping to support his weight. “Um. Today’s the first time they… actually did something? Got physical, I mean. Before that, it was just vague letters telling me that I don’t belong here and stuff.”

“Did you tell anyone?” Jaemin asks, his face as impassive as ever. But Donghyuck can see the anger in his eyes, and it almost makes him smile. “Don’t tell me you thought it was nothing and just ignored it.” When Mark grimaces, Jaemin’s mask breaks and he scowls. “ _Mark_.”

“I told Seungmin about it, and he went with me to tell my homeroom professor,” he mumbles. “She said she would look into it, but…”

“They cornered you before she could find out who was behind the notes,” Jeno finishes for him, pursing his lips. “Is that right?”

Mark gives a jerky nod. “Yeah.”

Sighing, Renjun steps forward to support Mark’s weight himself, allowing Chenle and Jisung to step back. “Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

They form a half circle around Mark and Renjun as they make their way towards the infirmary. People stare; of course they do. Donghyuck can hear the whispers and see the way that Mark curls in on himself. Before he can move, though, Jeno and Chenle step forward to cover Mark from the curious gazes. Jisung stays back, half hidden by Renjun, but Donghyuck takes note of the way he's clutching onto the back of Mark's shirt.

Jaemin falls in step beside him. “They grew attached to him fast,” he says under his breath, quietly enough that no one but Donghyuck can hear. “I don’t know if I should be worried or not.”

“Chenle’s quick to get attached to people,” Donghyuck whispers back, just as quietly. “I’m not too surprised about him.”

“But Jisung?”

Donghyuck doesn’t have an answer for him.

By the time they arrive at the infirmary, the bell has rung, signaling the start of afternoon classes. Master Zhang kicks them all out save for Renjun, who flat-out refuses to leave Mark alone again.

“That’s new,” Jeno observes as the three of them walk to their classroom after splitting from Chenle and Jisung, whose classes are on the opposite side of the building. “Didn’t know Renjun cared for Mark that much.”

“Renjun is more open than we are,” Donghyuck says with a shrug. “I’m more surprised at you leaving so willingly. You and Mark are friends, aren’t you?”

“Something like that,” Jeno answers vaguely. “Master Zhang would’ve just kicked me out anyways, so why bother fighting against him? Renjun is just scary.”

Jaemin huffs out a laugh at that, while the corner of Donghyuck’s lips quirk up into a half-smile.

They’re scolded when they arrive to class, and Professor Shin has them stand out in the hallway rather than join the class. Donghyuck thinks it’s ridiculous considering they’re barely ten minutes late, but he knows better than to argue so he holds his tongue.

“I hate him,” Jaemin grunts. He’s leaning against the wall while Donghyuck chooses to sit on the ground. Jeno sighs, joining Donghyuck on the floor and resting his head on top of Donghyuck’s shoulder. “Professor Shin is an asshole.”

“Won’t argue with you there,” Donghyuck mumbles. He wonders if it’d be acceptable for him to take a nap or if that goes against the ethics of being punished for being tardy.

“Sleep,” Jaemin tells him. “You haven’t been sleeping well these days, right? We’ll wake you up if it looks like Professor Shin is coming out.”

“Yeah.” Jeno shifts so that it’s Donghyuck resting his head on top of Jeno’s shoulders. “Sleep, Hyuckie.”

Donghyuck doesn’t argue with his friends and closes his eyes, taking only a few seconds to drift off to sleep.

｡:°ஐ

When Donghyuck opens his eyes, it’s not the hallway. It’s an open field, and the spot where he stands, he realizes as he looks down, is the only barren area. Well, Donghyuck thinks as his heart rate picks up, that’s not a good sign.

Is this a dream, he wonders. Something in his periphery catches his attention, and when he turns, he finds that a woman is staring at him. He squints, trying to get a clearer look. His breath hitches as his vision focuses.

She has no mouth.

The lady gestures frantically at his feet, and he frowns, looking down. He yelps at what he sees, trying to jump away from the shadows that attach themselves to his legs, attempting to pull him down. He stumbles in his haste, falling to the ground. The shadows are quick to move towards him, and all Donghyuck can do is throw his arms over his head in an attempt to shield himself.

His mouth falls open in a silent scream as he’s dragged under, consumed by the shadows.

｡:°ஐ

He jolts awake, scaring Jaemin, who jumps, and Jeno, who flinches so hard that he hits his head on the wall.

“Ouch!” Jeno hisses, rubbing the back of his head. His complaints cease when he notices how pale Donghyuck is. “Are you okay?”

“Duckie?” Jaemin pushes himself off the wall and kneels in front of Donghyuck, who can’t stop shaking. “What’s wrong? Duckie?”

“How long have I been asleep?” Donghyuck asks, trying to discern between reality and his dreams. He reaches out blindly for Jaemin’s hand, who grabs it and doesn’t let go. “Fuck.”

Jeno checks his watch. “It hasn’t even been five minutes,” Jeno tells him worriedly. “Did you have a bad dream?”

Donghyuck tries to remember but fails. All he can recall is _fear,_ and he squeezes Jaemin’s hand even tighter. “I don’t remember.” He closes his eyes, trying to stop trembling, but he can't. Even without a clear memory of his dream, Donghyuck feels scared. So scared.

"It's okay," Jaemin tells him. He pulls Donghyuck in for a hug and holds him tight. "We're here. I'm here. You don't have to be scared anymore."

Jeno joins the hug as well, and the three of them stay like that even when Professor Shin comes out of the classroom to tell them that they could come back in. At the sight of Donghyuck, Jaemin, and Jeno huddled on the floor, however, Professor Shin pauses, clearing his throat.

"Everything alright?" he asks.

"Just fine, sir," Jaemin says cheerily, not letting go of Donghyuck. "Are we allowed back in?"

Professor Shin heaves a sigh. "Yes. Come back in. Unless you need some time...?" he trails off, and both Jaemin and Jeno look towards Donghyuck for an answer.

"I'm okay," Donghyuck says, but it sounds weak even to his own ears. "I'm okay."

Jaemin frowns at him, and Jeno looks like he wants to protest. Before either of them can say anything, though, Donghyuck untangles himself from them and stands up, patting the dust off of his pants.

It's just a stupid dream, he tells himself as he puts on his mask and smirks down at his friends. "Come on, boys," he sings. "We don't want to miss any more of class than we already have, do we?"

He turns to Professor Shin and beams, hoping that none of his fear or anxiety shows through his mask. Professor Shin studies him for a moment before shaking his head, stepping back and gesturing for the three of them to enter.

"Well, then, Mr. Lee," Professor Shin says, "I hope you've completed your homework assignment from last night."

Donghyuck's face falls at that, and Jaemin and Jeno struggle to stifle their laughter.

｡:°ஐ

"Felix," Donghyuck calls out, waiting for Felix to turn around.

"Hey, Hyuck," Felix greets happily. "What's up?"

Donghyuck glances at Felix's friends, waving when Hyunjin smiles at him. "I need to talk to you about something. Is it okay if we...?"

"Oh, sure." Felix hops down from the ledge and jogs over. He gestures for Donghyuck to follow, leading him over to a big oak tree. They're hidden from view, and Felix leans against the trunk, giving Donghyuck his signature, sunny smile. "So, what's up?"

"I need a favor." Donghyuck gets straight to the point. "Of course, it's not for free. You can name your price."

Felix shakes his head. "We're friends, Hyuck," he says. "You don't need to repay me or whatever. I don't mind doing favors for friends."

Donghyuck smiles at that. "Thanks. That means a lot."

"Of course." Felix beams. "So, what is it that you need from little old me?"

"Information," Donghyuck says. "Everyone at the academy knows you. They go to you for information, supply you with information—you're faster and more reliable than any news networking system that the academy sets up."

"I'm flattered." Felix laughs. "So, what do you need to know that you already don't?"

Donghyuck shakes his head, much to Felix's confusion. "I'm not here to get information from you," Donghyuck clarifies. "I'm here to give it to you, and I need everyone at the academy to know about it by the end of today."

The smile on Felix's face vanishes, and he leans in with a frown. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"I need everyone to know," Donghyuck continues, ignoring Felix's question. "I need everyone at the academy to know that Mark Lee is with _us_ , and if anyone messes with him, he's messing with us.

"Messing with _me_."


	2. Chapter 2

_“Did you hear?”_

_“—dad got fired for fraud—”_

_“—bullying the transfer kid—”_

_“—caught by Lee Donghyuck—”_

Whispers and stares follow him as he walks down the hallway, but Donghyuck doesn’t pay much attention to them. He _is_ , however, pleased to hear that the rumor mill is going strong, and that for once, the rumors don’t stray too far from the truth.

“So,” Renjun starts. “I don’t suppose you had anything to do with the latest rumor going around, hm, Hyuck?”

Donghyuck continues rewriting his notes to make them more legible. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he answers when Renjun kicks at his ankles for ignoring him. “I’m trying to be a good student, Jun, do you mind?”

Next to him, Jaemin snorts, and even Jeno looks amused. Meanwhile, Chenle and Jisung barely pay attention to the conversation, focused on their card game.

“So you have nothing to do with Choi Hyunwoo’s dad getting fired from his job at _your_ family’s company?” Renjun raises an eyebrow.

Donghyuck smiles serenely. “Of course not. Don’t be silly, Jun,” he says sweetly. “I don’t hold _that_ much power in my family, you know that. Although _maybe_ I mentioned to my father’s secretary that they should look into why Mr. Choi’s department seems to do much poorer in terms of profit compared to the others.”

“How did you know he was embezzling company funds?” Jeno asks.

“I didn’t,” Donghyuck admits. “I just thought he was shitty at his job.”

Renjun lets out a bark of laughter in disbelief. “I can’t believe you _accidentally_ caught someone for embezzlement.”

“Apparently they’ve been investigating for a while,” Donghyuck tells them. “My timing just happened to be good.”

“Remind me,” Jeno says mildly, “to never get on Donghyuck’s bad side.”

Donghyuck laughs.

｡:°ஐ

A few things change after what Mark has dubbed as the Hallway Incident™.

One, the letters stop, and the group of boys who had cornered him that day don't bother him anymore. He catches sight of them in the hallways sometime, but the most they do is glare at him as he walks past.

Two, Chenle and Jisung start clinging onto him in the evenings when he’s in his room, trying to do homework. They drag him out into the common room where everyone else is and beg him to play games with them or help them with their homework, because apparently even if you attend a magical academy, math remains the same everywhere.

It really is the universal language, Mark thinks in awe as he stares at the math concepts he had learned two years ago.

Three, Renjun opens up to him. Before, Mark had only really spoken to Jeno outside of Chenle and Jisung, and he’s pleased to find out that he and Renjun share a lot of common interests, especially when it comes to books.

“I wanted to be a writer when I grew up,” Mark explains as Renjun looks in awe at his overstuffed bookshelf. “I was part of the literature club back at my—my, uh, regular school? Yeah.”

He waits awkwardly for Renjun to finish examining the titles that he has on his shelf. He’d only brought his favorite ones, leaving the rest at home.

“You’re my new best friend,” Renjun declares, once he’s finished looking and has a book tucked securely under his arm. “The rest of them have never held a book in their entire _life_. I’m disowning all of them.”

Mark laughs at that.

The final change that Mark notices, and perhaps the most significant of them all, is _Donghyuck_.

Before the incident, Donghyuck hadn’t spared him a single glance outside of the irritated ones thrown when Mark happened to be in his way. Mark doesn't think Donghyuck’s said more than five words to him before the incident. It’d been obvious to everyone and their dogs that Donghyuck did _not_ like Mark, though Mark had absolutely no idea why.

“It’s complicated,” Jisung had tried to explain when Mark had asked. “Things with Donghyuck, I mean. It’s complicated. But don’t mind him, please. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually. Jaemin, too.”

And so, Mark had started to avoid Donghyuck as well. Whether it was out of courtesy or out of fear, Mark isn’t sure, but he'd found himself instinctively ducking out of the way at the sight of Donghyuck and avoiding lingering in the common room so that he wouldn't run into him.

But after the Hallway Incident™, Mark finds that he sees more and more of Donghyuck each day, and his confusion grows.

“I thought he hated me,” Mark says with a frown. “Hated? Hates? I don’t know. He’s so confusing.”

Seungmin pats him on the knee sympathetically. “Don’t think too hard. Donghyuck is a complicated one. Trying to understand him might make your head hurt.”

“Same with Jaemin,” Mark continues to complain. “I mean, Jisung told me that they’ve known each other since they were born or something, so they stick to each other like glue. And now that Donghyuck isn’t avoiding me anymore, I guess neither is Jaemin? But he still glares at me every morning when I see him.”

“Ah, Jaemin.” Seungmin winces. "Well, you’re in Jisung’s good graces, so you probably don’t have to worry about him much.” That just confuses Mark even more, but Seungmin continues before Mark can say anything. “Seriously though, Mark. You shouldn’t worry about them. I mean, Donghyuck went out of his way to get everyone to stop bothering you, so I think it’s safe to say that he doesn’t _hate_ you. Not completely, at least.”

Mark’s head whips up. “Uh, what?”

Seungmin frowns. “What?”

“What do you mean Donghyuck went out of his way to stop everyone?” Mark asks with a frown. “Oh, well, the letters did stop after that day, too, so I guess I really should thank them.”

“Um, no,” Seungmin says slowly, setting his pen down. “You haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“After they, uh, caught those guys bothering you in the hallway, Donghyuck made it clear to everyone else at the academy that you were, um, with them?” Seungmin explains, looking unsure of himself. “It makes sense that you don’t get, like, the weight of his words since you’re still new, but yeah. Donghyuck sent out a message saying that if anyone else messes with you, then they’d be messing with Donghyuck, too. And people here really, _really_ don’t want to do that.”

To say Mark is shocked would be an understatement. “Why would he do that?”

Seungmin shrugs. “Who knows? Hallmate solidarity, maybe? Point is, Donghyuck’s family is kind of like royalty in our world, I guess. I mean, we don’t have monarchs or anything, but his family comes pretty close to something similar. So when Donghyuck says something…”

“People listen,” Mark finishes, and Seungmin nods.

“Yeah, exactly.”

Suddenly, it makes sense. The stares in the hallway, the way the crowd always seems to part for Donghyuck and the rest of them, and now _Mark_ —if this were a chess game, Donghyuck would be the queen, and the rest of them would be pawns, waiting for Donghyuck’s orders.

“Oh,” Mark says rather lamely. “Wow.”

Seungmin hums, picking up his pen again. “Yup. Looks like you’re part of their crew now, Mark.”

That statement scares Mark more than it should, and Seungmin takes great delight in the way Mark pales.

｡:°ஐ

Donghyuck startles when someone taps him on the shoulder. Turning his head, he sees that it's Mark, looking down at him with a soft smile.

“What are you up to?” he asks. Donghyuck wants to frown and tell him to back off.

“Just reading,” is what he says instead, holding his book up.

“Cool.” Mark nods. “What's it about?”

Donghyuck looks back at his book, trying to make out the words on the pages. But it's too blurry for him to make out, and he frowns. “I don't know.”

The illustrations show some kind of shadows, but Donghyuck can’t make out what they are. He’s never seen anything like it, and no matter how much he squints, the words on the pages don't get any clearer.

When he looks back up, he finds that someone is staring at him from across the room. It’s a tall, lean man with shocking white hair sticking up all over the place. His eyes are piercing blue, but that’s not what gets Donghyuck’s attention.

He doesn’t have a mouth.

Just like the woman from before, Donghyuck realizes, recalling the dream he had in the hallway days ago. The one he’d forgotten about when he woke up.

The man frantically points at something behind him, eyes getting wider and wider with each passing second. Donghyuck looks back, but he doesn’t see anything. Even Mark is gone, and Donghyuck feels the panic bubbling in his chest.

“What is it?” he whispers. “What are you trying to say?”

But the man doesn’t answer. More like he _can’t_ answer, and all he does is continue to gesture at something behind Donghyuck. But there’s nothing there, and Donghyuck doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do.

“I don't understand,” he says in frustration. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

He looks behind him again, but all he sees are bookshelves. When he turns forward again, the man is gone and Donghyuck feels his heart drop.

Before he can stand up from his seat, the lights go out and Donghyuck feels something grabbing his feet. Yelping, he jumps up, trying to get away from the shadowy figures that try to grab him.

 _Light_ , he thinks to himself, trying to keep the panic at bay. _I need light._

But before he can even attempt to conjure anything to chase the shadows away, the library falls apart around him, and Donghyuck is helpless as he’s once again dragged under by the shadows.

｡:°ஐ

It’s the middle of the night when Donghyuck jolts awake from a scream. He lays there, eyes wide and heart racing, before he realizes that it wasn’t _him_ who screamed.

He’s out of his bed and racing out the door before his brain even catches up to what’s going on, Jaemin following close behind him. Renjun stumbles out of his room, a confused expression on his face, but Donghyuck barely registers it as he practically flies down the stairs.

The door to Chenle and Jisung’s shared room is already open, and when Donghyuck bursts inside, he finds that Jeno and Chenle already have Jisung wrapped up in a tight hug. Mark is standing to the side, hovering awkwardly but looking just as worried as everyone else. Donghyuck swallows, trying to calm his heart.

“Jisung,” he quietly calls out, approaching the three people on the floor as carefully as he can. He briefly makes eye contact with Jeno, who extracts himself from the hug so that Donghyuck can take his place. “Sungie,” Donghyuck repeats, just a decibel louder, so that Jisung can hopefully hear him in the midst of his panic.

“I don’t know what happened,” Chenle whimpers, his voice a pitch higher than normal, clearly agitated. “He just sat up and started screaming and shaking and I—”

“Shh.” Donghyuck gently shushes him, and Chenle closes his mouth, looking close to tears. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Le, okay? Why don’t you go over to Renjun, yeah?”

Chenle lets out a shaky breath, squeezing Jisung one last time before getting up and throwing himself into Renjun’s waiting arms. The space he occupied is filled by Jaemin faster than Donghyuck can breathe, gathering Jisung into his arms. Donghyuck follows.

“Sungie, my Sungie,” Jaemin croons, running his fingers through Jisung’s hair. “Did you have a nightmare?”

“Jaemin,” is all Jisung says before promptly bursting into tears. Both Donghyuck and Jaemin’s eyes widen in panic as they try to calm Jisung down, but he’s inconsolable. Donghyuck’s knees begin to ache from the uncomfortable position but he ignores it and continues to rub comforting circles into Jisung’s back.

It feels like nearly an eternity by the time they manage to calm Jisung down. Once his sobs subside, Jeno carefully walks towards them and kneels down, holding out a vial. “Calming potion,” he explains when he sees Jaemin’s sharp gaze. “If he wants it.” He glances at Jisung for only a split second before looking up at Jaemin again. “Chenle made it, so he won’t have to worry.”

Donghyuck takes the vial with a quiet thanks. Jeno gives him a strained smile and steps back.

“Jisung.” Jaemin gently pulls away from Jisung just enough to get a good look at him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Turn on the lights.” Jisung hiccups. “Turn on the lights.”

“The lights?” Jaemin furrows his eyebrows in confusion. He looks up at Renjun, who nods and goes to turn the lights on. “They’re on, Sungie.”

“Not enough,” Jisung mumbles, choking back a sob. “It’s not enough. Jaemin. It’s not enough.”

“What’s not enough?” Donghyuck asks, trying his best to calm Jisung down. “Talk to us, Sungie.”

“The shadows,” Jisung whimpers. Donghyuck’s face falls. “They’re coming for us, Donghyuck. They’re coming for us.”

Jaemin looks crestfallen as Jisung dissolves into sobs once more. Donghyuck feels like his heart is going to crawl out of his throat as he recalls the dream he was having before Jisung’s scream woke him up.

“You’re safe now,” Donghyuck says thickly, his throat closing up. “We won’t let the shadows get to you, Sungie.”

Jaemin tightens his arms around Jisung. “They’d have to get through me first,” he swears. “We won’t let the nasty shadows touch you.”

Their words just cause Jisung to cry even harder, and they all spend the rest of the night trying to console him.

Only when the sun rises does Jisung stop crying and manage to fall into a fitful sleep, Jaemin following after him. Once they’re both asleep, Donghyuck glances around the room and finds Chenle resting in between Renjun and Jeno. He can’t find Mark, though, and that makes him frown, wondering when he’d left the room.

“Oh.” Mark walks in as Donghyuck is contemplating if it’s worth going to sleep now when they’ll have to wake up soon for school. “They fell asleep?”

“Yeah,” replies Donghyuck, voice no higher than a whisper. “Where were you?”

Mark glances out the window. “Went to go turn off all the lights,” he answers. “The sun is up now, so I figured I’d try to save some energy after keeping them on all night, you know?”

At Jisung’s insistence, Jeno and Mark had gone around turning on every single light in the dorm hall. _There can’t be any darkness_ , Jisung had said in between his cries. _None at all_.

“We use magic,” Donghyuck finds himself saying before he can stop himself. Mark looks at him in surprise. “For the lights, I mean. It’s magic. That’s why the lights never go out. We don’t need to replace them.”

“Oh.” Mark pauses. “That makes sense.”

“Yeah.”

Silence envelops the room, a stark contrast to the night before. Sunlight filters through the curtains into the room, and Donghyuck feels the fatigue hit him like a ton of bricks.

“You should go to sleep,” Mark tells him. “I don’t think they’ll be waking up any time soon.”

“We have classes,” Donghyuck mumbles even as his eyes flutter to a close. “I’m not a delinquent.”

“Of course you’re not,” Mark says lightly. “Never said you were.”

He hears Mark shuffling around the room, and opens his bleary eyes to find him draping a blanket over Renjun, Jeno, and Chenle. He steps back once he’s ensured that they’re tucked in with a faint smile on his face. Observing this sight, Donghyuck is surprised to find that he no longer feels the bitterness he used to at the sight of Mark.

“Sleep, Donghyuck,” Mark says when he catches Donghyuck staring. “Oh, you’re probably uncomfortable like that, huh.”

It’s only when Mark comments on his position that Donghyuck realizes he’s lost feeling in his legs. He winces, trying to shift without jostling Jaemin and Jisung too much. Mark comes over to help, holding Jaemin and Jisung steady as Donghyuck extracts himself from the two.

“Thanks,” he says quietly. Mark hums in response as he coaxes Jaemin and Jisung into laying down. “We should get them some pillows. And a blanket.”

“On it.” Mark gets up to grab the pillows off of Jisung’s bed. Donghyuck takes them from him and carefully holds their heads up to place the pillows under them. Mark puts the blanket over them once Donghyuck sits back. “How are your legs?”

Donghyuck grimaces. “Numb.”

Mark huffs out a quiet laugh. “I’ll bet. Don’t want to join them?”

“No.” Donghyuck shakes his head. “Jisung usually doesn’t like being held. He’ll be overwhelmed if I’m here, too, when he wakes up. Jaemin is enough.”

“Oh.” Mark is silent, observing Jisung with a thoughtful expression. “You’re all really protective of Jisung, aren’t you?” he comments. “You and Jaemin especially.”

Donghyuck feels his walls rising as he snaps harshly, “Is that a problem?”

Mark holds his hands out in surrender. “No. Just an observation.” When he seems sure that Donghyuck won’t attack him, Mark lowers his hands and asks, “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did,” Donghyuck grumbles just to be petty. “What is it?”

“Breakfast?” Mark gestures towards the door. “I don’t want to wake them up. Wait, are you not tired?”

Donghyuck flexes his legs, making sure that he’s regained feeling in them before standing up. “No. I can go for a few days without sleep.”

“That’s… worrying.”

Donghyuck just shrugs. “Breakfast?”

“I can’t cook, is that okay?”

“No.”

｡:°ஐ

Mark watches in awe as Donghyuck expertly flips the pancake over before sliding it onto the plate next to the stove.

“You’re really good,” he says. “I feel like I should be ashamed of myself.”

Donghyuck glances at him for half a second before turning his attention back to the pan. “I like cooking,” he admits quietly. “It keeps me distracted.”

“Uh, I don’t think being distracted while cooking is a good thing.”

He can’t see, but Mark knows that Donghyuck is rolling his eyes. “I didn’t mean it like that, idiot.”

Mark chuckles.

The pancakes that Donghyuck places in front of him are perfect; Mark doesn’t think he’s ever seen pancakes look this _round,_ except in cartoons. He says his thanks and accepts the syrup that Donghyuck passes him.

They’re silent as they eat. The pancakes taste even better than they look. Mark thinks he’s in heaven.

“You’re doing the dishes, by the way.” Donghyuck breaks the silence. A quick glance shows Mark that he’s already finished with his stack. “I cooked.”

Mark swallows before answering. “I know,” he says. “Should we save some for them?”

Donghyuck pointedly looks down at his empty plate, and then over at Mark’s almost-empty one. “Save them what, crumbs? They won’t be up for a few hours, anyways.”

Mark glances over at him. “Your eyes are bloodshot,” he says. “You sure you don’t want to sleep?”

“If you ask me if I’m going to sleep one more time, I’ll make sure they never find your body,” Donghyuck says sweetly. Mark flinches.

“Okay, okay.”

Donghyuck sighs, leaning back in his seat. “You said you had a question for me,” he says. “I’m going to assume that asking me if I want breakfast wasn’t the question.”

“No.” Mark wipes his mouth, setting his fork down on the plate. “It’s about Jisung. Before you get defensive,” he hurries to say when he catches Donghyuck’s eyes darken, “it’s nothing bad. Just something I noticed. I know it hasn’t been long since I, uh, transferred here, but Jisung’s like a little brother to me. I think it’s impossible for someone to meet him and _not_ like him, you know?”

“You’d be surprised,” Donghyuck says so quietly that Mark almost misses it. He doesn’t look particularly murderous anymore, which is a plus, but Mark frowns when he sees the pain in his eyes. “What’s your question, and why are you asking me instead of Jisung?”

“Well, Jisung’s asleep right now, for one,” Mark points out. “And I have this nagging feeling that if I ask Jisung about it directly, you or Jaemin might kill me in my sleep.”

Donghyuck gives him a wry smile at that. “Maybe.”

“Jisung,” Mark starts hesitantly. “He can see things other people don’t, right?”

Donghyuck is silent but Mark catches the way his jaw clenches.

“He can see ghosts,” Mark continues. “And based on your reaction, I’m going to assume it’s not something you guys like people knowing.”

“How can you tell?” Donghyuck questions.

Mark anxiously drums his fingers on the table. “I saw him mumbling to himself the other day,” he reveals. “He looked really scared when he saw me, so I didn’t say anything. Just asked him if he wanted to go to the library with me.”

“Jisung hates the library,” Donghyuck grumbles unhappily. “He always talks about how he’s allergic to books.”

Mark laughs at that. “Did you know the library here has a comic book section? I mean, it’s a small section, but it’s there. I didn’t recognize any of the ones they have but Jisung said it’s the same ones that he grew up reading, so sometimes we go to hang out. He reads comics while I do homework.”

“Oh.” Donghyuck blinks. “So that’s where you two started disappearing off to. You guys should tell Jaemin next time, so he doesn’t try tearing the place apart again looking for Jisung.”

Mark grimaces at the memory. Jaemin had been furious when Mark and Jisung returned to the dorm hall after dinner. He knew that Jaemin wouldn’t have actually hurt him, but it had still been a scary experience. Jisung had apologized to Mark for days after that, even though it wasn’t his fault, and Mark shudders at the memory of Jaemin’s expression.

“You probably think we’re overreacting,” Donghyuck says. “That Jaemin was overreacting that day. But we have a reason.”

Mark eyes Donghyuck apprehensively. “Do I get to hear the reason?”

Donghyuck purses his lips, glancing towards the hallway. “Jisung’s gift isn’t common. At all. In fact, seeing ghosts is considered a bad omen. Bad luck. A curse.”

“So superstitions still exist here, too, huh,” Mark muses. “Why?”

“ _Because_ it isn’t common. You know what people are like. As soon as they see something that society doesn’t consider the _norm_ , they’ll flock over like crows and try everything in their power to get rid of the _anomaly_.”

“Murder,” Mark says without thinking. “A flock of crows is called a murder.”

Donghyuck goes on, voice softer now. “He was poisoned once, because of his gift.”

Mark pales at that. He can’t imagine anyone hating on Jisung. Sweet, little Jisung who had been the first out of them all to welcome Mark. “That’s horrible.”

“It happened when we were kids,” Donghyuck continues. “He and Chenle had just started attending the academy. Jisung used to be a sickly child, so as soon as the cold weather hit, he came down with the flu. He was fed a potion that was _supposed_ to help with his fever, but it turned out to be poison. All because he has a gift that’s a little unique.”

Mark recalls something from last night. “That’s why Jeno clarified that the calming potion was made by Chenle,” he realizes. “Because of that.”

“Right.” Donghyuck nods. “Jisung doesn’t take potions unless it was made by one of us.”

“I don’t blame him.” Mark exhales, trying to wrap his head around this new information. “How can people be so cruel?”

Donghyuck shrugs. “Who knows? They’ll fawn over something they perceive as being precious and above them, placing people on pedestals they never asked to be on, but as soon as a single mistake is made, they’ll tear those people down,” he says, bitterness coating his tone. “They’ll run their mouths and spread _their_ versions of the story, the one where they’re the ones in the right and everyone else is wrong.”

Mark swallows. “It happened to you, too.”

He doesn’t say it like a question. He doesn’t need to. Donghyuck’s breath hitches, and Mark can physically see his walls rising again, closing himself off so that Mark can’t try to decipher his emotions.

“I think you have some dishes to do,” Donghyuck says coolly, standing up. “I have to get ready for class.”

“What—you’re actually going to class?” Mark sputters. “You didn’t get any sleep last night!”

Donghyuck shrugs. “So? Someone will have to explain everyone else’s absences to the professors. Better that I go to explain in person than have someone come knocking on the doors while they’re asleep. You should get some rest, too. Your dark circles are horrible to look at.”

With that, Donghyuck stalks out of the kitchen after placing his empty plate in the sink, leaving Mark alone, trying to soak in everything he’s learned in the past thirty minutes.

｡:°ஐ

“Remind me again why we’re here?” Jaemin asks for the umpteenth time that morning. “It’s Saturday, Duckie. Why did you drag me out of bed at 9 o’clock in the morning only to come to the _library_?”

Donghyuck scans the titles in front of him, taking one that seems promising and skimming through its contents. “I told you. Research.”

“Okay, but why am _I_ here?” Jaemin corrects himself. He leans against the bookshelf with an unhappy frown. “You won’t even tell me what you’re researching.”

“Moral support?” Donghyuck tries. “I need to find a book.”

“Are you looking for a specific one?”

Donghyuck exhales. “I don’t know.”

Jaemin throws his arms up. “I give up. I’m going to go take a nap at one of the tables. Come find me when you find whatever it is that you’re looking for.”

 _Reminder to self: Never wake Jaemin up before noon on weekends_ , Donghyuck thinks to himself with a small smile. He knew that Jaemin would come back after a few minutes. He didn’t like leaving his friends alone for long, after all.

Sure enough, not even five minutes pass before Jaemin trudges back to where Donghyuck is with a pout. “You’re terrible, Duckie.”

“I’ll buy you lunch to make up for it,” Donghyuck promises. “We can go to that café you like.”

“Did you get permission for us to go into town?” Jaemin asks.

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Of course I did. Who do you think I am? I got slips for all of us, just in case the rest of the kids wake up and want to come.”

“Renjun would kill you if he heard you call him a kid,” Jaemin chuckles. Donghyuck just shrugs and continues his search. “Okay, seriously. What are you looking for? It’d be faster if I help, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know,” Donghyuck says, frustration lacing his voice. At Jaemin’s encouraging gaze, Donghyuck continues, “I’ve been having some dreams. That’s why I’m having a hard time sleeping these days. Because of these dreams.”

“What kind of dreams?” Jaemin asks slowly.

Donghyuck closes his eyes and leans his forehead against the bookshelf. “Bad ones,” he says quietly. “There’s always someone trying to warn me about something, but I can never understand what they’re trying to tell me because they don’t have a mouth.”

Jaemin is silent for a few seconds. “A mouthless being invades your dreams and tries to warn you about something?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Donghyuck answers. “It sounds crazy, I know. But something tells me that I should listen to them, but how can I listen to them when I don’t even know what they are?” Donghyuck clenches his fists. “I hate not knowing things.”

“I know.” Jaemin rests his hand on the back of Donghyuck’s head. “Stay here for a sec, okay?”

“Okay,” Donghyuck whispers, and Jaemin is off in a flash. With nothing to do but wait, Donghyuck seats himself on the ground and makes himself comfortable.

Someone calls his name, “Donghyuck?” causing him to look up. Seungmin is at the end of the aisle, looking at him curiously. “What are you doing here so early?”

“Oh. Hey, Seungmin.” Donghyuck greets. “Just looking for something.”

“Ah.” Seungmin nods in understanding. “Homework?”

“Something like that.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.” Seungmin gives him a gentle smile, waving goodbye before walking off. Donghyuck closes his eyes again and leans his head against the bookshelf, waiting for Jaemin to come back.

He returns after a few minutes, a book in hand and a triumphant grin on his face. “I found it,” he announces, settling down next to Donghyuck. “Here.” He shoves the book towards him. It’s opened to a specific page already, and Jaemin points at the illustrations. “Is this what you’ve been seeing in your dreams?”

 _Astomi_ , the page says. Donghyuck swallows at the image of mouthless men and women. The same ones he’s been seeing in his dreams. “Yeah. How’d you find it so quickly?”

Jaemin smirks at him. “I asked Madame Park if there are any books on magical creatures that I could look at. You were in the wrong section. I found this in less than five minutes.”

“Smart,” Donghyuck concedes, his eyes not leaving the page. Jaemin leans in closer so that he could look at it as well.

“Astomi,” Jaemin reads out loud, “are mouthless beings who communicate via telepathy and dreams. They are peaceful creatures that reside in another world and are very in tune with nature. As perceived protectors, astomi try to warn you of possible dangers coming your way through dreams.”

Jaemin pauses after reading that, and Donghyuck freezes. “In my dreams,” Donghyuck says shakily, “it always ends with me being dragged underground by shadows.”

“Jisung’s nightmare from the other night.” Jaemin’s breath hitches. “He was saying something about shadows, wasn’t he? He made us turn on all the lights.” He chews on his lower lip before asking, “Do you think they’re connected? Your dreams, I mean.”

Donghyuck doesn’t understand what’s going on, and that scares him to no end. “I don’t know,” he whispers in defeat. “I don’t understand what’s happening.” He recalls something else in his dream, a detail that he’d forgotten until now. “In my most recent dream, I was reading a book. Here, in the library.”

He scrambles up, the book Jaemin brought dropping to the ground. Jaemin makes a surprised noise, picking up the book before rushing to follow him.

“Where are you going?” he complains as Donghyuck speeds out of the aisle. “Duckie!”

“Where did you find that book?” Donghyuck asks. “What aisle?”

“Over there.” Jaemin points at the far end of the library. “Duckie—”

Donghyuck hurries over to the aisle that Jaemin pointed at, scanning the titles quickly in search for a specific one. Behind him, Jaemin huffs, but Donghyuck ignores him.

“This one,” he gasps when he spots the familiar looking title, pulling it off the shelf. “I was reading this book in my dream.”

“ _A History of Dark Magic and Creatures_ ,” Jaemin recites quietly as he contemplates the book in Donghyuck’s hand. “Not your everyday reading.”

Donghyuck opens the book, flipping through the pages, stopping once he finds the one he’s looking for.

“ _Daeva,_ ” Donghyuck reads. “Demons of darkness.” He scans the page. “Can only be summoned through a ritual by a powerful black witch or a demon. Invisible to the eye, a daeva can only manifest itself through its shadow.”

Jaemin’s hand shoots out to grab Donghyuck’s wrist. “Duckie.”

“Known as _invisible killers_ , a daeva uses its claws to tear humans apart,” Donghyuck continues to read, his voice beginning to shake. “They can only be controlled by their summoner, and there are very few spells known to witches that can kill a daeva.”

“Donghyuck,” Jaemin repeats himself. “Stop.”

“Jaemin,” Donghyuck mutters. He can’t seem to look away from the book. “What does this mean?”

Jaemin clutches at his wrist so tightly that Donghyuck offhandedly thinks that he’s going to leave a bruise. “I don’t know,” Jaemin answers, tugging Donghyuck towards him for a hug. “But we’ll figure it out together, okay?”

Donghyuck squeezes his eyes shut. “Okay.”

｡:°ஐ

He can’t do this anymore, Donghyuck thinks as he gasps, trying to remember how to breathe. He doesn’t even remember what his dream was about this time, only that he was falling and falling and nobody was there to catch him and—

“Breathe,” someone instructs. They wrap their arms around Donghyuck and he squeezes his eyes shut, focusing on the person’s heartbeat in an attempt to calm himself. “You’re okay.”

The bed dips as someone else sits down behind him, and another pair of arms wrap around him. “You’re okay, Duckie. I got you.” A pause, then, “ _We_ got you.”

He falls asleep like that, with arms wrapped around him, keeping him close and _safe_ from the demons that plague his dreams.

｡:°ஐ

**Haechan** [6:02am]: i need ur help

 **B** [10:38am]: what could u have possibly needed from me at 6 in the morning

 **Haechan** [10:38am]: im having nightmares

 **B** [10:44am]: ???  
**B** [10:44am]: u need my help because ur having bad dreams???

 **Haechan** [10:47am]: i dream of an astomi warning me about something almost every night and when i tried to research it i found something scary and idk if im overreacting or not but i need ur help  
**Haechan** [10:47am]: also jisung had similar dreams i think  
**Haechan** [10:48am]: havent talked to him about it yet

 **B** [10:48am]: ok  
**B** [10:48am]: i’ll see if i can swing by soon  
**B** [10:48am]: talk to jisung.

 **Haechan** [10:49am]: ok

｡:°ஐ

There’s a tense atmosphere that settles in their dorm. Mark isn’t sure what’s going on, but from the confused glances Renjun gives Donghyuck, he deduces that he isn’t the only one that’s left in the dark. Things had been tense ever since that night Jisung woke everyone up with his nightmare, but something in the air has definitely _shifted_ even compared to that.

“I don’t like staying in the dorm,” Jisung whispers to him. They’re huddled in the corner of the library. Mark has his assignments out in front of him while Jisung is clutching a comic book. “Donghyuck is on edge about something, and if Donghyuck is on edge, that means Jaemin is too.”

Mark pats his head in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. “Read your comic book,” he suggests gently. “They’ll tell us when they’re ready.”

An hour or so passes when Chenle finds them, darting forward and squishing himself in between them.

“You guys left me all alone,” he complains. Mark winces at the volume and shushes him when they receive glares from the students studying around them. “It’s so scary in the dorm now. I don’t like it.”

Mark sighs when he realizes he’s not going to get any work done now that Chenle’s joined them too. “Give them some space, yeah? I’m sure Donghyuck and Jaemin will come tell us what’s going on soon.”

Chenle grumbles unhappily. “I hope so. I don’t think Donghyuck is sleeping much these days. He always asks me for a sleeping draught before bed. I’m completely out now and I won’t be able to make more until I can go to town to restock on ingredients.” He quiets down for a second before adding a sad, “What if he can’t sleep until I make more?”

Mark’s eyes soften and he wraps an arm around Chenle. “Donghyuck will understand,” he says quietly. “He has Jaemin with him, and Jaemin wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”

“That’s true.” Chenle sighs dejectedly, snuggling into Mark’s embrace.

“And he has the rest of you,” Mark continues, smiling at Chenle’s pleased expression. “Donghyuck knows he’s not alone.”

Jisung is quiet during this entire exchange. He wordlessly reaches out to take Chenle’s hand in his and squeeze. “And he has you too,” Jisung adds quietly, directed towards Mark. “He has you too, and he knows it.”

Mark doesn’t answer, the three of them going silent as they stew over their own thoughts. The stillness in the air is only broken when Jisung’s phone rings. He winces and hurries to fish it out of his pocket. “Donghyuck wants us back,” he announces, standing up. “Hall meeting, he said.”

“Okay.” Mark smiles. “Go on, then.”

Jisung blinks. “Are you not going to come?”

Mark purses his lips. “I’m not sure he’ll want me—”

“He will,” Jisung says quietly. “If he didn’t, he’d have said so. Trust me.”

“Besides, he said _hall_ meeting,” Chenle pipes up. “And you live in our hall, Mark, which means you should be there with us.”

Mark still hesitates, but eventually nods. “Okay.”

He gathers his belongings while Jisung disappears between the shelves to put the comic books back. Chenle rocks back and forth on his heels as he waits, and once Jisung’s back, the three of them head out of the library and towards the dorms.

“Any idea what he wants to talk to us about?” Mark tries. Jisung shakes his head.

“No,” he mumbles, anxiously wringing his hands. A nervous tic of his, Mark notes. So he’s lying then.

When they arrive at the dorm, they find everyone else sitting around the common room. Renjun is sprawled out on the armchair while Donghyuck is on one of the couches with Jaemin sitting on the floor in front of him. Jeno has made himself comfortable on the other couch, absentmindedly playing with the tassels of a cushion.

Donghyuck doesn’t bat an eyelash at Mark being with them and ignores him in favor of gesturing for Jisung to sit next to him. Mark sighs. So much for making progress. Chenle grabs his arm to drag him over to the empty space next to Jeno, and Mark doesn’t complain when he doesn’t let go.

“We need to talk,” Donghyuck says.

Renjun narrows his eyes. “Are you finally going to tell us what the hell is going on with you and Jaemin?”

“Something like that,” Donghyuck answers vaguely. “Jisung, I need to ask you something, but before I do, I promise you that you’re not alone, okay?”

When Jisung doesn’t answer and refuses to look up at Donghyuck, Jaemin gets up from the floor and seats himself on Jisung’s other side. “Sungie,” Jaemin says. “Look at me.” Jisung looks up and Jaemin pokes him lightly on the forehead. “You know that we’ll always be here for you. Would I let anything happen to you?”

“No,” Jisung mumbles.

“Would Donghyuck let anything happen to you?”

Jisung shakes his head. “No.”

Renjun frowns. “What’s going on?” he asks, but it goes ignored by all three of them.

The silence is suffocating, and Mark looks between Jisung, Donghyuck, and Jaemin in worry. He thinks that he has a vague idea of what they want to talk about, which makes him worry even more.

“Jisung,” Donghyuck says, “I need you to tell me about the dream you had that night.”

Jisung’s face falls and Mark freezes. He hears Chenle’s breath hitch, and winces when the grip on his arm tightens.

“Do I have to?” Jisung whispers.

Donghyuck nods, though he doesn’t look too happy about making Jisung go through that ordeal again. “It’s important,” he says quietly. “I need to know. Please.”

“We turned all the lights on,” Jaemin adds. “You’re safe here. With us.”

Jisung looks between them anxiously before nodding. “Okay.”

He tells them about the nightmare he had that night, how he had been alone in what looked like an underground chamber. He tells them about the shadows that chased after him and the maniacal laughter that echoed through the chamber.

“They didn’t have bodies,” Jisung informs them, voice hushed. He’s gripping onto Jaemin’s hands so tightly that his knuckles turn white. “Just… formed out of the shadows. I think that scared me the most, because I couldn’t defend myself. How do you fight back against _shadows_?”

“Is that why you had us turn on all the lights that night?” Donghyuck asks softly, and Jisung nods.

“Yeah,” he confirms. “Because they can’t form when there’s light.”

“We sleep with the lights on now,” Chenle whispers sadly into Mark’s ear. “He never told me why and I complained about it, but I wish I hadn’t.”

“I’m sure he understands,” Mark says, patting Chenle’s head with his free hand.

“I know that I shouldn’t be so hung up over a nightmare,” Jisung continues, “but I can’t seem to shake it off.”

He’s visibly trying not to cry, blinking rapidly and lips trembling. Jaemin notices and tugs him in for a hug, arms tightening when Jisung slumps into his embrace.

“Me too,” Donghyuck says. Everyone’s attention snaps towards Donghyuck, who doesn’t look away from Jisung’s shocked expression. “I’m having dreams about it too.”

“You are?” Jisung’s voice cracks and the first tear rolls down his cheeks.

Donghyuck nods, reaching forward to wipe the tear away. “It’s a little different from yours, though. In mine, there’s always an astomi trying to warn me about something, but before I can figure out what they’re trying to warn me about, I always get dragged underground by the shadows.”

“Daeva,” Jaemin mumbles.

Jeno clears his throat. “Sorry for interrupting, but what’s an astomi?”

“What’s a daeva?” Chenle adds, looking confused.

“Astomi are creatures that try to warn you of danger through your dreams,” Jaemin explains. “They’re seen as some sort of protectors.”

“So Donghyuck’s been dreaming about something trying to warn him that something dangerous is coming?” Renjun clarifies, biting his lip in worry. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t know until recently,” Donghyuck admits. “I kept forgetting the dream every time I woke up. I only remembered it a couple days ago, and since then I’ve been doing some research to figure out what was going on.”

Mark clears his throat. Donghyuck’s gaze is sharp as he looks over at Mark, but he pretends that it doesn’t scare him. “What about the shadows? Jaemin called it something, right?”

Donghyuck breathes. “Daeva,” he says. “A shadow demon that’s also known as invisible killers. It can only manifest itself through its shadow.”

“Are you telling me that there’s a shadow demon at the academy?” Renjun pales. “Donghyuck—”

“No,” Donghyuck interrupts. “If there really was a daeva at the academy, we’d have heard about it already. Or at least the professors would’ve sensed it, I hope. Besides, it can only be summoned by either a black witch or some other powerful demon, and I don’t think we have either of those at the academy.”

“Then why are you two dreaming about it?” Jeno counters, a small frown of worry on his face. “The fact that you two are having similar nightmares can’t be a coincidence, right?”

“Who knows.” Donghyuck shrugs, trying to feign nonchalance, but even Mark can see the way his shoulders are tense. “I did contact my cousin about it just in case, though. He said he’d drop by soon.”

Chenle perks up again. “Which cousin?”

“Who else could it be?” Renjun snorts. “There’s only one person Donghyuck would go to about this.”

Even Jisung looks excited at the prospect of Donghyuck’s cousin visiting. Chenle leans forward, eyes glimmering with excitement. “How long will he be staying?”

“I don’t know. He hasn’t gotten back to me yet,” Donghyuck replies. “I’ll let you guys know when he does.”

Chenle gets up and cheers, running over to throw himself on top of Jisung, who has a small smile on his face, the rest of his tears wiped away by both Donghyuck and Jaemin. Renjun leans back on the armchair, looking content. Jeno gets up to get started on dinner, leaving Mark alone on the couch, wondering who Donghyuck’s cousin is.

｡:°ஐ

The first attack happens on the Tuesday after the hall meeting.

Donghyuck had been trying not to fall asleep as he listened to Professor Joo drone on about the economic boom in the magical community back in the 17th century. It’s an excruciatingly boring topic, and it takes everything Donghyuck has to not fall asleep.

Jaemin has no such self-control and is currently snoring lightly next to him. In front of him, Renjun has his head propped up on his palm, no doubt also sleeping, or at least getting there. Jeno sits behind him so he can’t see, but Donghyuck knows that he’s probably on the verge of falling asleep as well.

The scream rips through the hallway, shocking everyone. Donghyuck jolts awake and Jaemin falls out of his seat with a yelp. It goes silent after. So silent that for a second, Donghyuck wonders if he’d imagined the scream. But then, another one echoes through the hall and Donghyuck knows that it isn’t his imagination. 

Professor Joo freezes for only a split second before rushing out the doorway to check the hall. “Stay in your seats,” she orders, before closing the door behind her. Normally, they’d be out of their seats to try to get a peek at what’s going on, but everyone stays completely still.

Donghyuck can see through the windows that she doesn’t stray far, and that other professors have joined her in the hall, trying to figure out what that scream was, and where it came from.

“What was that?” Jaemin’s eyes are wide as he looks out the window. “Did I dream of that or what?”

“No, we all heard it.” Donghyuck glances around the room and finds most of his classmates whispering to each other. Each of them look just as surprised as he feels. “Text Jisung.”

Jaemin turns his head, looking at him in confusion before it dawns on him, and he doesn’t waste another second before taking his phone out. They look up again when they hear footsteps coming down the hall, and Donghyuck is surprised when he sees a familiar mop of silver hair. Jaemin makes a noise.

“Hey, isn’t that—?”

“That asshole,” Donghyuck curses. “He didn’t tell me he would be here today.”

Renjun turns around with wide eyes, having seen him as well. “Was that—?”

Before Donghyuck can answer, Professor Joo comes back into the classroom. “Class will be cancelled for the rest of the day,” she announces, but nobody cheers at the thought of being free for the afternoon. Not when they know why they’re being freed.

Professor Joo continues, “We will be escorting everyone back to the dorm halls. You are to stay there until further notice. Do _not_ leave your halls,” she says, eyeing all of them severely. Nobody dares to argue.

After that, they’re all taken back to the halls by group, and Donghyuck’s group is escorted back by Professor Park, who repeatedly assures them that everything is fine and that this is all just a precaution, despite nobody asking. When they get back to their hall, they make a beeline towards the couches to wait for Chenle and Jisung.

“Has he replied?” Donghyuck asks, just to break the silence. It doesn’t really matter whether Jisung has replied or not, seeing how he’ll be walking in soon anyways.

Jaemin shakes his head. “No. He’s probably on his way back with Chenle.”

No sooner than the words leave Jaemin’s mouth, the door opens and they stumble inside, Chenle supporting Jisung’s weight. Jeno is the quickest, jumping up to help him. They bring Jisung to the couch where the rest of them are waiting.

“What happened?” Donghyuck demands. Jisung is pale and sweating but looks fine otherwise. “Jisung, are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Jisung says. He doesn’t sound fine. “Just… overwhelmed.”

“He dropped like a fly in the middle of class,” Chenle whimpers, contradicting Jisung’s reply. “Jeongin and I were about to take him to the infirmary but then we heard the scream and Professor Min told us to stay inside and—”

“Shh,” Renjun shushes Chenle and tugs him away from Jisung. “You did well.”

Before Donghyuck can ask what happened, the door opens and Mark stumbles inside, looking just as pale as Jisung. Something in Donghyuck’s stomach drops, and before he even realizes what he’s doing, he’s up and helping Mark over to the couch.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Mark shakes his head. “Was just, uh, a little overwhelmed.” He shudders, shaking his leg anxiously after he sits. He continues, “I don’t know how to explain it, but suddenly, I kind of felt like I was suffocating?”

Jisung’s breath hitches at that. “Did it feel like something was pressing down on you?”

“Yeah.” Mark nods. Donghyuck reaches out to take Mark’s hands when he notices them shaking and squeezes. “I felt like I couldn’t breathe.”

“Oh,” Renjun says quietly, realization dawning on him. “Wait, how close were you to the, uh, screams?”

“It sounded like it happened right next to the classroom.” Mark closes his eyes and takes a breath. “Right around the corner, I think.”

Renjun nods. “Seems like you’re more sensitive to the flow of magic than usual. That’s how I feel when currents shift or if there’s someone around me who can’t control theirs.”

“Sorry.” Mark grimaces. Renjun waves his apology away and tells him not to worry about it.

“The ghosts tried to warn me,” Jisung whispers. “Usually they stay away when I’m in class, but suddenly they appeared together all at once and started talking at the same time and I just… got overwhelmed.”

“What did they say?” Jaemin asks gently. 

Jisung shakes his head. “I don’t know. I couldn’t make anything out from their chatter. It just sounded like a bunch of static.”

There’s an unasked question that hangs in the air, and Donghyuck wonders if anyone will voice it. When it looks like nobody’s going to take the leap, Donghyuck gets up from the couch.

“My cousin is here,” Donghyuck tells them. They perk up at that. “I saw him walk past our classroom earlier. I’m going to see if he can come over.” He turns to Jisung. “You should get some rest,” he says softly. “Do you want to stay here or go to your room?”

“Here, please,” Jisung says. “I don’t feel like being alone right now.”

“That’s fine,” Jaemin says. “I’ll stay out here with you.”

“I’ll be in my room,” Donghyuck says. He gives Jisung’s shoulder a squeeze, making eye contact with Jaemin, who nods at him. 

“I’ll get started on lunch,” Renjun says, and stands up as well. “Come out when you’re done, okay?”

Donghyuck casts his gaze around at his friends, taking a deep breath in. He gives Renjun a quiet affirmative when he exhales, heading off to his room like he’s going to war.

｡:°ஐ

**Haechan** [11:49am]: can u stop by my dorm after ur done with whatever it is ur here for

 **B** [1:13pm]: sorry kiddo i tried but got called back to start investigations by my boss  
**B** [1:13pm]: i’ll be around though so i’ll swing by soon ok?  
**B** [1:13pm]: stay in groups when u go out

 **Haechan** [1:14pm]: :(  
**Haechan** [1:14pm]: ok

 **B** [1:20pm]: ill see u tiny terrors soon dw

 **Haechan** [1:20pm]: :)  
**Haechan** [1:20pm]: ok

｡:°ஐ

After the attack, curfew is immediately implemented. Unlike previous times they’ve had curfews, where breaking it just meant one or two weeks of detention, this time the penalty is possible expulsion.

The professors don’t tell them anything yet, and the rumor mill goes crazy as a result. Not even Felix is able to get a wind of what’s going on, much to his growing frustration. Fear lingers in the air. Not surprising, Donghyuck surmises, when they all heard the screams. Nothing is said about who the scream was from, outside from the fact that it was a student and that they’ve been transported to St. Mary’s for treatment.

The dreams stop, and Donghyuck wonders if the astomi no longer feels the need to warn him because the danger has already arrived. He wonders if what attacked the student is what he had been dreaming about. Although if there was a black witch or demon in the vicinity, surely the professors would know about it… right?

But there’s something that bothers Donghyuck, a nagging feeling that stays in the back of his mind about the whole situation. There’s something weird about this whole thing that’s making him nervous.

His worries were solidified when Jisung pulled him aside one night after dinner. He’d been tapping his foot anxiously as he looked up at Donghyuck in fear.

“The ghosts disappeared,” he’d said. “Like, they’ve gone completely silent. I can’t even feel their presence in the academy anymore, and that’s never happened before.”

So, Donghyuck is worried. The professors won’t say anything, his cousin still hasn’t updated him on what’s going on, and now Jisung’s ghosts have gone radio silent to top it off.

Something is stirring at the academy, and Donghyuck doesn’t know what, and it scares him more than he wants to admit.

｡:°ஐ

Mark ruffles his hair in frustration as he tries to figure out what he’s doing wrong. He had expected he’d have a hard time catching up, of course, considering he’s years behind his classmates. But his other classes have been going better than expected, except for one: the actual physical, training.

He had no problem memorizing the theories when it came to magic, but when the time to actually manifest it came, Mark found himself at a loss each time. His aptitude exam had gone fine, which is why he was just as confused as his professors when he couldn't manage to control a tiny ball of water despite weeks of practice.

(“The four elements are the hardest to control,” Professor Song had told him in an attempt to cheer him up. “Why don’t we try working on the levitation spell from last week, yeah?”

Mark doesn’t have much luck with that one either, and he leaves the training area with feelings of frustration swirling inside him.)

With the newly imposed curfew, it means that Mark has less time to split between the library and training, which only makes his frustrations grow, especially since his practical exam is just around the corner. His friends from class try to help him, but Jihoon’s specialty lies in potions while Woojin’s lies in arithmancy.

“Don’t you live in the same dorm as Lee Donghyuck?” Jihoon asks after another session of attempting to help Mark with his magic. “He’s like an actual genius. Like, I genuinely don’t think there’s anything Donghyuck _can’t_ do. You should ask him for help.”

“Donghyuck hates me.” Mark grimaces. “I think. I don’t know. But he definitely doesn’t like me very much, so I don’t think I could ask.”

“What about Jaemin?” Woojin pipes up. “He’s an elemental specialist so he could probably help out with that.”

Mark grimaces again. “If Donghyuck doesn’t like me, do you think Jaemin would?”

Both Jihoon and Woojin pause. “Oh,” Jihoon says lamely. “Right.”

Mark groans. “I’m a lost cause. I’ll just fail the practical and get kicked out. It’s fine! I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Jihoon snorts. “They wouldn’t kick you out for failing your practical. You’d get like, a million remedial lessons, but you wouldn’t get kicked out.”

“Thanks,” Mark says dryly. “That makes me feel a lot better.”

Jihoon beams. “You’re welcome!”

“I still think you should try asking one of them for help,” Woojin tells him before they part ways at the dorm halls. “I’m not saying that Jihoon and I aren’t willing to keep helping, because we are, but it’d be a lot easier for you to get help from people who actually, you know, specialize in the field.”

“I know.” Mark sighs. “Maybe I’ll ask them when it looks like Donghyuck’s in a good mood.”

“Good luck.” Jihoon pats his shoulder sympathetically before walking off with Woojin, bickering as they go.

When he gets back to his own dorm, Renjun immediately appears in front of him with a frown on his face. “Where have you been?” he demands. “I thought we agreed to stay in groups—”

“Sorry,” Mark interrupts with a wince. “I was at the training area with some friends. They were helping me for my practical coming up.”

“Oh.” Renjun blinks. “Okay. Don’t come home too late next time, okay?”

 _Home_. Mark smiles at that. “Okay,” he promises. “Did you guys already eat dinner?”

“I ate with Chenle and Jeno.” Renjun looks apologetic. “Jisung’s taking a nap but he should be up soon, if you want to wait for him. Donghyuck’s been holed up in his room since he got back from classes. I think Jaemin’s doing homework in Chenle’s and Jisung’s room but I’m not sure.”

“They haven’t eaten yet?” Mark frowns. “It’s getting late.”

Renjun shrugs. “I tried to call them down to eat, but Donghyuck said he’d eat later and Jaemin didn’t want to leave Jisung alone in case he woke up.”

“Ah.” Mark nods. “Okay.”

“Leftovers are on the stove,” Renjun says as he walks backwards towards the stairs. “All you have to do is heat it up, but it should still be warm. Please don’t burn the kitchen down.”

Mark makes a face at him and Renjun laughs. Sure enough, there’s fried rice left in the pan and Mark scoops some up into a bowl, not trusting himself to _not_ burn it while heating it up. He doesn’t want to be killed by Renjun before his practical, thank you very much.

He’s halfway through his meal when Donghyuck stumbles into the kitchen, eyes red and looking worse for wear. Mark freezes when they make eye contact, his spoon suspended in midair as Donghyuck focuses on him.

“No side dishes?” Donghyuck asks. HIs voice is rough, and Mark wonders if he’d taken a nap too. “Jeno’s mom sent us kimchi, I think.”

Mark shakes his head. “Uh, I wasn’t sure if I was allowed?”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Why wouldn’t you be?” he asks, sounding impatient. He doesn’t wait for Mark’s answer, instead heading into the kitchen to get himself a bowl as well. After he sets his fried rice down onto the table across from Mark, he goes back to the refrigerator to take out the plastic containers with various side dishes inside. “You live here too,” Donghyuck reminds him. “You’re just as welcome to the food here as we are. Except for, like, the labeled ones. If you drink all of Chenle’s banana milk, he might turn your hair green.”

Mark makes a face at the mental image and Donghyuck laughs, which flusters Mark for some reason. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard Donghyuck laugh like that, at least not in front of him. “Thanks,” he says sincerely, turning pink when Donghyuck raises an eyebrow at him. “Just, uh, thanks.”

“You’re welcome, I guess.” Donghyuck opens the containers and nudges it towards Mark. “Eat. Jaemin texted me that he’ll just make something for himself and Jisung when they’re awake, so we’re allowed to finish up the rest of the fried rice.”

“Okay.” Mark nods. The rest of the meal is spent in silence, and Mark finishes his first bowl and is halfway through the second when Donghyuck speaks up again.

“So, where have you been?” he asks casually. Or, at least, _tries_ to sound casual. There’s an underlying tone of worry somewhere. Mark is touched. “You got home late.”

“I was practicing,” Mark tells him. “With some friends from class. They’re helping me with some stuff I’m having trouble with.”

Donghyuck hums. “Practical?”

“Yeah.” Mark sighs. “It’s not going well.”

“You’ll get it,” Donghyuck says in sympathy. “Let me know if you need help, okay? What is it even on?”

Mark tries not to let it show that he’s surprised at Donghyuck extending his help, praying that his poker face doesn’t fail him. “Uh, elements. Nothing big, just need to learn how to control small amounts of it.”

“And how’s that going?”

Mark grimaces, giving Donghyuck all the answers he needs. He laughs again at Mark’s disgruntled expression, and Mark is once again in awe. Two times in less than an hour; that has to be some kind of record.

“Your laugh sounds nice,” Mark blurts out before he can stop himself. He feels his ears get warm, and he _knows_ that it’s only a matter of time before they turn bright red. “I did not mean to say that out loud.”

“Clearly,” Donghyuck says, sounding all too amused. “Your ears are super red right now.”

“Don’t look at them,” Mark grumbles, bringing his hands up to cover them. “Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“No thanks,” Donghyuck singsongs. “It’s cute.”

Great, Mark thinks, feeling his cheeks get warm. Now he’s blushing, and he wants to wipe Donghyuck’s delighted smile off his face. “Stop laughing.”

“I thought you said my laugh sounds nice.” Donghyuck bats his eyes.

Mark scowls. “I liked it better when you ignored me,” he says without any heat. When Donghyuck’s face falls at that, he immediately backtracks. “Wait, that was a joke. Sorry.”

“No.” Donghyuck shakes his head. “I need to apologize to you.”

“Huh?” Mark is confused now. “About what?”

Donghyuck hesitates, fiddling with the charms on his bracelet. When it becomes clear that Donghyuck is struggling to get his words out, Mark decides to help him.

“That’s new,” he says gently, nodding at the bracelet. “Did you make it?”

“Huh?” Donghyuck jumps, glancing down. “Oh, no. I found it earlier when I was organizing my room. It was a… gift.”

Something about the way Donghyuck says that makes Mark wonder if there’s a story behind it, but he doesn’t ask. Instead, he studies the bracelet, trying to figure out what color it is. It’s hard to tell because every time Donghyuck moves his wrist, it turns a different color, iridescent. There’s a charm of what looks like the sun hanging off it, but Mark can’t see too clearly because of Donghyuck’s fingers.

“My sister gave it to me,” Donghyuck explains when he catches Mark staring.

“Oh.” Mark hadn’t known Donghyuck had a sister. “It’s pretty.”

“Thanks.” Donghyuck’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Are you two close?” Mark tries.

“We were.” The past tense doesn’t go unnoticed. “She’s not… around anymore.”

Mark sucks in a breath. “Fuck, Donghyuck, I’m so sorry—”

Donghyuck shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t know. It’s been a while, so I’ve made my peace with it.” He hesitates for a moment before continuing their earlier conversation, “I need to apologize to you for how I treated you when you first got here.”

“Oh.” Mark hadn’t been expecting that. “Don’t worry about it,” he echoes Donghyuck’s words from seconds prior. “No hard feelings.”

“No.” Donghyuck clenches his jaw. “It wasn’t fair to you. You didn’t deserve that.”

“Donghyuck.” Mark sighs, pushing his bowl to the side. “The most you did was ignore me. I’ve dealt with far worse than that in my life, so—”

“ _What._ ”

“—seriously,” Mark continues, ignoring Donghyuck’s outburst, “don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, Mark,” Donghyuck says quietly. “If someone treats you like shit, which frankly speaking I did, then you shouldn’t just wave it off. You didn’t do anything to deserve that.”

Mark blinks in surprise. “Uh…”

“So let me apologize,” Donghyuck finishes with conviction. “I was a piece of shit to you. And I apologize.”

“Apology accepted?” Mark says hesitantly. “Thank you, I think.”

Donghyuck gives him a wry smile. “There’s no one on this earth that would thank someone for apologizing to them except for you, Mark Lee.”

“What can I say?” Mark grins, and the tense atmosphere is lifted. “I’m one of a kind.”

“That you are,” Donghyuck agrees. “That you are.”

Mark doesn’t know what to think about the sudden quickening of his heartbeat, or the way his mouth goes dry. He simply smiles just a little wider, certain that something has shifted between them..

｡:°ஐ

There’s a plate of sliced strawberries and apples waiting for him in his room when Mark gets back from class. The apples look fresh, meaning it hasn't been long since it’s been placed there, and Mark picks up the note curiously.

 _Sorry._ -🐰

Mark doesn’t know if he’s allowed to laugh, but he does anyways.

｡:°ஐ

In retrospect, Mark should’ve _known_ this would be a bad idea.

He should’ve left with Jihoon and Woojin, but he had been making some progress with his magic, so Mark decided to stay behind for _just_ a little bit longer. His friends had protested, of course, but Mark had promised that he wouldn’t stay for much longer and sent them on their way.

But then he had lost track of time, and now it was almost curfew.

Renjun was going to kill him. Maybe Donghyuck, too.

“Fuck,” Mark swears as he hurriedly packs his belongings and rushes out of the training area. It’s getting dark, and Mark gets the distinct feeling of something watching him, so he speeds up. Something tells him that he should get out of there as soon as he can, so he does.

He relaxes when he enters the main building but doesn’t slow down. He doesn’t want the reason he has to pack his bags and leave the academy to be because he broke curfew of all things, but most of all, he doesn’t want to deal with Renjun’s or Donghyuck’s wrath. In his haste, he doesn’t notice the lights overhead starting to flicker before slowly going out. Slow enough for Mark not to notice until it’s too late.

A prickling at the back of his neck and a short gust of wind are the only warnings he gets before something grabs Mark’s ankle and throws him into the wall. He crumples to the ground, coughing and trying to catch the breath that was knocked out of him, when something looms over him, causing him to look up.

It’s a shadow, and that’s when Mark knows he’s fucked.

“Oh, shit,” he whispers, quickly rolling out of the way. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he chants as he takes off down the hallway.

He doesn’t expect to be able to outrun the shadow. How would someone outrun a shadow in the first place, anyways? But Mark hopes to be able to reach somewhere he can call for help; he knows that the professors start their patrols when it’s near curfew to make sure no one’s loitering the halls, and Mark can only hope that he runs into one before the shadow gets to him.

He rounds the corner, stumbling in his haste, and it costs him. The shadow grabs him by the leg again and Mark goes crashing into the lockers, a pained cry leaving his mouth. Something in his back _definitely_ cracks, and Mark whimpers at the pain.

He’s helpless as the shadow looms over him again. _Come on,_ he tells himself, desperately trying to think of something to do. _Fuck, how do you fight a_ shadow?

Then he remembers the hall meeting they’d had a few weeks before, how Donghyuck and Jaemin had been reading about these shadows. _Light_ , Mark recalls. _I can fight them with light_.

Not that it helps much, considering Mark can’t form a proper spark even on a good day. He yelps and ducks out of the way, debris flying at the impact of the shadow’s claws sinking into the lockers.

 _Oh,_ Mark thinks in a panicked daze. _I hope they don’t make me pay for that._

As the shadow regathers itself, Mark desperately tries to remember everything _, anything,_ his professors had tried to teach him. About how in order for his magic to work, for it to _listen_ to him, Mark needs to call it forth from his core and demand control.

He grabs his bag from where it’s fallen and dashes off again, trying to reach inside himself and force his magic to come out. He feels something stirring, but it’s not enough. There’s something blocking it from manifesting, and Mark wants to cry out in frustration.

The shadow gains on him and Mark chokes when he feels it slash his sides. He goes down immediately, wrapping his arms around his torso in an effort to protect himself. Blood drips down from the wound and Mark is too scared to take a look at it.

 _Sparks._ Mark’s breath picks up when he sees the sparks coming out of his fingertips. _More,_ he thinks. _Come on,_ more.

Spots swim around in his vision when he’s once again slammed against the wall, and Mark starts to get pissed off. He doesn’t doubt that his back is littered with bruises at this point, and he really wishes that this shadow would stop slamming him against the wall and get on with whatever it's here to do.

 _Strong emotions help influence magic_ , Professor Song had told him once. _Of course, it’s not a technique that you should rely on forever, but it’s a good start_.

Anger starts to build up inside, and Mark tries to ignore the pain and channel his anger into something tangible. He can hear the shouts coming from down the corridor, but he ignores it as fire erupts from his fingertips, engulfing the hallway and, subsequently, the shadow.

An inhuman voice echoes down the hall and the last thing Mark sees before his vision goes black is a mop of silver hair shielding him from the shadow.

｡:°ஐ

To say Donghyuck is furious would be an understatement.

None of them are allowed to leave the dorms despite their protests, and Donghyuck fumes as he paces back and forth in the common room. Jeno is on the couch, trying to console an upset Chenle and Jisung, while Renjun is yelling at the magi that had come to tell them the news of Mark. Usually, Donghyuck would feel sympathy for whoever is on the other end of Renjun’s wrath, but he can’t bring himself to feel that way this time around. 

Jaemin is also on the couch, face stoic as he stares at the ground with a hard look in his eyes. Donghyuck would be worried if he didn’t know that Jaemin had apologized to Mark in his own way, and that Jaemin didn’t apologize unless he meant it.

Donghyuck watches impassively as the magi finally escapes Renjun’s wrath, rushing out the door. Stomping back to the common room, Renjun’s face is red with fury as he all but throws himself onto the couch next to Jaemin.

“I’m going to kill him,” Renjun declares. “Both Mark and that stupid magi who won’t let us go see him. I _told_ him not to stay out too late. I told him!”

“I’ll join you,” Jaemin says lightly, though his expression says anything _but_.

“No killing,” Donghyuck tells them. A pause, then: “Just a little bit of maiming, maybe. But no killing.”

Jaemin gives him a grin, teeth and all. “No promises, Duckie.”

“You’re going to make Chenle and Jisung cry,” Jeno says. “No killing. Listen to Donghyuck.”

“Yeah, Jaemin. Listen to Donghyuck,” Donghyuck repeats. He clenches and unclenches his fist, trying to calm himself down. He tries the breathing tactics his instructor had taught him, but it doesn’t help. “Actually, you know what? Yeah. Let’s kill him.”

“Great,” Renjun says cheerfully, a glint in his eyes promising Mark a world of pain when they get their hands on him. “We should make a plan.”

They spend the rest of the night trying to distract themselves but failing. Classes had been cancelled for the rest of the week, meaning that they didn’t have much to do without the usual pressure of deadlines looming over them. It’s a unanimous decision to spend the night in the common room rather than their own rooms, and Donghyuck helps Jeno move the couches while Chenle and Jisung go to grab the spare blankets from the closet.

Jaemin is in the kitchen making dinner, and it’s not going well if the burning smell that permeates the air is anything to go by.

“I’ll go help him,” Renjun says after dropping pillows onto the couches. Chenle and Jisung appear a bit later with a mountain of blankets in their arms.

“I don’t think we’ll need this many,” Jeno says in amusement. They can’t even see the top of their heads, and Donghyuck snorts. He and Jeno quickly take the blankets from their arms before they can drop them. “You know there’s only six of us, right?”

“Seven!” Chenle corrects before deflating. “Oh, wait…”

Donghyuck purses his lips and starts to set the blankets up while Jeno spreads his arms for Chenle. Jisung wordlessly joins him, and they have the common room covered in blankets in no time.

Jaemin calls them once dinner is ready, and they eat in silence. Attempts at conversation are made, but none of them feel up to it and it dies out quickly.

He had thought it would take some coaxing for Chenle and Jisung to sleep, but they fall asleep rather quickly, with everyone else following not too long after. Only Donghyuck lays there wide awake, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if Mark is okay or if he’s in pain.

Anger rises inside him again at the thought of Mark being powerless and waiting for help. Help that Donghyuck wasn’t able to provide. It’s irrational, he knows. There’s not much Donghyuck could’ve done even if he was there, and they’d just be two students down rather than one if he were.

But rationality escapes him as Donghyuck wishes that he could go back just a few hours in time so that he could pull Mark away from the training area, away from the danger that was waiting for him.

Just as he’s about to close his eyes and try to get some sleep, his phone vibrates softly against the blankets.

 **B** [11:32pm]: awake?

 **Haechan** [11:32pm]: yeah

 **B** [11:32pm]: ok  
**B** [11:32pm]: im omw

 **Haechan** [11:32pm]: ???

 **Haechan** [11:35pm]: hello???

 **Haechan** [11:38pm]: baek???

A soft knock takes Donghyuck’s attention away from his internal debate of whether he should call his cousin or not. He gets up quietly, careful not to wake anyone up, and pads towards the door.

“Hey.” Baekhyun grins at him when Donghyuck opens the door. “Want to go see your friend?”

Donghyuck punches him in the face.

｡:°ஐ

“You deserved that, by the way,” Donghyuck tells Baekhyun when they’re inside the main building. All the lights are turned on despite it being after hours, and Donghyuck has no doubt that it’s to keep the shadows from manifesting. “I won’t apologize.”

“I sneak you out so you can see for yourself that your friend is okay and _this_ is how you treat me?” Baekhyun complains. “After all I did for you?”

Donghyuck gives him a flat look when they walk past another magi, who waves at them. “I don’t know what your definition of _sneaking someone out_ is, Baek, but this isn’t it. I’m literally walking out in the open. Professor Joo said _hello_ to me.”

“Details, details.” Baekhyun waves Donghyuck’s comments away, much to his ire. “The important thing is, you’re on your way to the infirmary to see your friend, _who_ , by the way, is _fine_. Just a little scratched up, but nothing that Yixing—I mean, Master Zhang couldn’t fix.”

He’d decide that once he sees Mark for himself, Donghyuck thinks silently. He had briefly wondered if he should wake everyone else up but ultimately decided against it, instead leaving a note for them to read if they happened to wake up and a text for Jaemin.

The walk to the infirmary is short, mainly because Baekhyun walks like he’s heavily caffeinated at all times. It turns a ten minute walk into seven. Baekhyun gives three short knocks before opening the door, and Donghyuck pushes right past him to get to Mark.

Baekhyun grunts, cursing Donghyuck under his breath, but he gets ignored. “Where is he?”

“In the corner closest to the office.” Baekhyun points. The words barely leave his mouth before Donghyuck is sprinting down the infirmary.

His face crumples when he sees Mark, pale against the sheets and wrapped up in bandages. He hesitantly reaches out and brushes Mark’s fringe away from his face.

“He’s fine.” Baekhyun walks up to him and puts a comforting hand on Donghyuck’s shoulder. “He was awake for a bit, but Yixing gave him a sleeping draught so that he wouldn’t move around and aggravate his injuries.”

Donghyuck slumps into the chair next to the bed and buries his head in his arms. Mark is okay. Mark is going to be fine.

“You were that worried, huh,” Baekhyun muses softly. He runs his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair. “I haven’t seen you get attached to someone so quickly since Jeno.”

“Yeah, well, he’s one of us now,” Donghyuck mutters, voice muffled by his arms. “He’s my friend.”

Baekhyun hums. “I’m glad you’re making more friends, Duck.”

He allows Donghyuck to stay in the infirmary for the rest of the night, even when Suho shows up with a disapproving look on his face, chasing his superior off before Suho can wake his baby cousin up. 

Donghyuck falls asleep, his head resting on his arms, fingers lightly grazing Mark’s. Sometime during the night, a blanket is draped over him, and Donghyuck snuggles into it. For the first time since the nightmares started, he sleeps through the night. 

｡:°ஐ

When Mark wakes up, he’s greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling. He groans, shutting his eyes and bringing his hand up to rub at them. His entire body is in pain, particularly in his lower back and torso, and Mark thinks he’s going to die.

A rustling to his right catches his attention and Mark opens his eyes to peek down, finding a mop of brown hair slumbering away next to him. He blinks, reaching out to see if it’s real, mouth forming a surprised ‘o’ when he realizes it is.

“Awake?” The curtains around the bed are pushed aside, and a man with a kind smile and dimples on his cheeks looks down at him. He’s wearing a white gown, and Mark thinks that he should know who this is. “How are you feeling?”

“In pain,” Mark croaks out. “Where am I?”

“The infirmary,” the man answers. “Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

“Uh.” Mark furrows his eyebrows. Bits and pieces come back to him, and he grimaces. “Oh, right. I was attacked, right?”

The man nods. “You were,” he confirms. “Your torso was slashed and several ribs were fractured. We healed you, but you should still take it easy for the time being.” He pauses, tilting his head to study Mark. “You fended for yourself quite nicely, from what I heard. Do you specialize in fire magic, or was it just a ‘spur of the moment’ kind of thing?”

“Uh, a ‘spur of the moment’ kind of thing. I’m lousy at magic, usually. I was just really desperate,” Mark winces. He glances down again at the person sleeping by his side. “Uh…”

“Oh, Donghyuckie,” the man says cheerfully. Mark freezes. “He stayed the night. Guarded the bed and almost bit my hand off when I came to check on you in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t wake him up just yet. It’s just barely dawn, and he gets quite irritable if you wake him up too early.”

Mark doesn’t know what to say, so he settles for a simple, “okay,” and continues to stare at Donghyuck’s head with wide eyes. The man gives him a cup of water to drink and tells him to call for him if he feels any pain, before leaving. Mark never got his name.

An hour or so pass by before Donghyuck stirs. Mark’s attention immediately shifts when he sees Donghyuck sit up, groaning as he stretches; he must be sore from sleeping in an uncomfortable position all night, no doubt.

“Good morning,” Mark says softly. Donghyuck freezes, turning his head slowly to look at Mark. He winces at the anger swirling in Donghyuck’s eyes, knowing that he probably deserves it for making them all worry. “Did you, uh, sleep well?”

“Did I _sleep_ well?” Donghyuck repeats, not bothering to hide the fury in his voice. “Mark Lee, are you joking with me right now?”

Mark winces. “Okay, listen—”

“No, _you_ listen,” Donghyuck snarls. He sits up, and Mark feels impossibly small under Donghyuck’s glare. “You could have _died_ , Mark. What was the one thing I made you all promise me in the beginning? That you would stick with groups. That you wouldn’t let yourself be left alone. And what did you do? Let your friends go home before you, and then get _attacked_ in the hallway.”

Donghyuck’s words cut deep, and Mark tries not to flinch. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I lost track of time. I should’ve called one of you or something, but it felt like something was watching me, so all I could think of was getting out of the training area as soon as I could.”

“You should’ve still—wait.” Donghyuck stops, a frown on his face. “You felt like you were being watched?”

“Uh, yeah?” Mark says hesitantly. “That’s the only reason I realized that it was getting late, otherwise I would’ve probably kept practicing. But it felt like something was really, _really_ watching me, which is why… yeah.”

Donghyuck’s frown doesn’t leave his face. “Okay.” He reaches out and grabs Mark’s hand. “Don’t do that again.”

“I won’t.”

“From now on, when you go to practice, take one of us with you.”

“I will.”

“You have to do the dishes for the next month.”

“Okay.”

“And babysit the kids next time we go out into town.”

“That’s fine.”

Donghyuck squeezes one last time before letting go. Mark misses the warmth the second he does.

｡:°ஐ

After Mark’s attack, the entire academy is even more on edge. Word travels fast, and this time, everyone knows what happened.

“I heard he covered the entire hallway with fire,” Mark hears someone whisper as he walks past them. His ears burn from the attention, and he discreetly tries to hide behind Jaemin, who’s walking in front of him with Jisung.

“Heard the magi had a hard time putting it out, too,” someone else whispers. “Burned the whole place, from what I heard.”

“Is _that_ why hall 4 is blocked off now?”

“Yeah. My brother, he’s one of the magi on duty here, by the way, said that the entire place is charred. Completely black, apparently. They’re working on restoring it now.”

Jaemin looks back at Mark, eyebrows raised and looking impressed. When he notices Mark trying to hide from the crowd, he moves to the side a little so that he’s covering Mark from the front.

When they turn the corner, Jaemin opens his mouth. “I thought you told Duckie that you’re having trouble with your magic.”

“I am,” Mark grumbles. “That was a fluke. An ‘I don’t want to die here, oh my god’ type of fluke.”

Jaemin smirks a little. “There are no flukes when it comes to magic, Mark.” He stops suddenly, causing Mark to run into his back with a grunt. Jisung looks back at them curiously but is pulled away by Chenle. “I’ll train you,” Jaemin says, turning around so that he’s facing Mark. “I was going to ask you if you wanted help, but I didn’t get the chance to before you got attacked.”

“Oh.” Mark looks at Jaemin in surprise. “You don’t have to.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to,” Jaemin says. “We’ll start in a few days after you’re all healed.”

And with that, he turns on his heels and continues on his way, leaving Mark to scramble after him and wonder, _what the fuck_?

｡:°ஐ

When Mark stumbles into the dorm behind Jaemin, who’s whistling happily, Donghyuck is waiting for them with a towel and a smirk on his face.

“How was practice?” he asks smugly.

Mark grunts in response, taking the water bottle from him and ignoring the laughter behind him as he drags himself back to his room.

｡:°ஐ

They’re in the library when Donghyuck realizes. It’s only the two of them, everyone else having gone back to the dorms a while ago. But Mark had been having trouble with some of his assignments, and Donghyuck had been more than happy to keep him company.

 _Oh_ , Donghyuck thinks as he watches the sunlight bounce off of Mark, turning his hair into shades of gold. _I think I like him_.

He continues to stare, smiling every time Mark scrunches up his nose in frustration. “Having trouble?” he asks.

Mark looks up at him with a pout. “I don’t think I like arithmancy very much.”

Donghyuck laughs. “Want help?”

Mark doesn’t hesitate in pushing his homework towards Donghyuck, who reads through it and starts to explain what to do next. He learns that Mark is a quick learner, only needing a few pointers here and there before he’s breezing through the rest of the assignment. It makes Donghyuck smile, chest feeling warm when Mark lets out quiet noises of triumph whenever he finishes a problem.

“You’re staring,” Mark says, snapping Donghyuck out of his reverie. “Do I have something on my face?”

Donghyuck blinks, trying to regather his thoughts. “No,” he says, glad that his brain-to-mouth filter is still working. “I was just thinking.”

“A penny for your thoughts, then?” Mark smiles. Donghyuck glances down and sees that Mark had finished the remaining problems in the time he’d been daydreaming about him. He rests his elbow on the table, propping his chin up with his palm. “Hyuck?”

“Uh.” Donghyuck flails, trying to think of something to say. “I was thinking about you?”

Mark looks surprised at that. “Um, what about me?”

“Just…” Donghyuck trails off. “I don’t know.”

It’s silent after that, and Donghyuck thinks he’s going to combust from the embarrassment. Mark quietly puts his arithmancy notebook back into his bag and checks his watch. “We still have a few hours until curfew. Do you mind staying for a bit longer or do you want to go back to the dorm?”

“I don’t mind.” Donghyuck shakes his head. “Finish up your homework.”

Mark gives him a small smile and takes out his potions notebook next, flipping open to a page and continuing what looks like a lab report.

Donghyuck continues to sit there quietly, observing Mark and wondering when he had grown so fond of him. He recalls Baekhyun’s words, how he hasn’t seen Donghyuck grow attached to someone so quickly in a while. Donghyuck wonders if Mark has some kind of magic that just attracts people to him.

“You’re staring again,” Mark accuses lightly, eyes not leaving his notebook. His ears are red, Donghyuck notices. He wonders if Mark feels as nervous as he does right now. “Do you like looking at me that much?”

“Yes,” Donghyuck admits before he can help himself. He doesn’t regret it though, because Mark’s reaction is so cute and precious. He finds himself laughing at Mark’s wide-eyed expression, mouth slack and cheeks slowly turning a shade of pink that’s quickly becoming Donghyuck’s new favorite color.

“You’re being mean,” Mark mumbles sulkily, looking back down at his notes. Donghyuck just laughs again, nudging Mark’s ankles with his foot to make sure he’s not actually mad. “Stop that. You’re distracting me.”

“Am I distracting, Mark?” Donghyuck teases. Mark scowls and ignores him, which just delights Donghyuck even more.

He stops, though, because he does want Mark to get some work done before they have to go back. He’s content to just sit there and watch, his smile never leaving his face.

“I’m done,” Mark announces after a while. He closes his notebook and shoves it into his bag. “I hate potions.”

“Is there a class you _don’t_ hate?” Donghyuck asks. “So far, you’ve announced that you hate every class you’ve done homework for.”

“I like history of magic.” At Donghyuck’s disgusted expression, Mark shrugs. “It’s interesting. I didn’t grow up knowing all these things and hearing the stories like you guys did, so everything we talk about in class is new to me.”

“Oh, right.” Donghyuck blinks. “I forgot.”

Mark gives him a weird look. “You forgot that I’m new here?”

“No.” Donghyuck shakes his head. “I forgot that you grew up learning a different history. It’s easy to forget that the human world is different when you go all your life living in our world. It just takes me off-guard sometimes when I’m reminded of it.”

“Ah.” Mark nods in understanding. “That makes sense.” He makes a face, then. “I don’t know what I’m going to tell my friends when I go back home for the break. They think I got a scholarship to some boarding school abroad.”

Donghyuck’s eyebrows shoot up at that. “And they believed you?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Mark shrugs. “It’s going to be hell to keep up the lie when I go home, but it’s whatever.”

“Tell me about your friends?”

Mark’s eyes light up at that, and he launches into stories about the shenanigans he had gotten up to with his two closest friends back home, Jungwoo and Xiaojun. The way Mark talks about them makes it clear that he treasures them very much, and Donghyuck smiles at the anecdote of the time they had gotten in trouble for sneaking into the chemistry labs to make waffles.

“It was Jungwoo’s idea,” Mark explains with a fond sigh. “I told him that we were going to get caught, but he insisted. I made him take my cleaning shifts for the rest of the semester.”

At Donghyuck’s encouragement, Mark continues to tell him about the rest of his friends. Donghyuck learns that Mark grew up with Taeyong, his neighbor who was like an older brother to him, before Taeyong had graduated and went off to college out of the country.

He tells Donghyuck about his parents, how Mark had never questioned his dad’s work but realized only after he’d covered his room in ice that yeah, his dad had been pretty suspicious from the start. He tells Donghyuck about his mom’s job as a nurse at a big university hospital and how proud he is to be her son.

It makes Donghyuck feel a little bitter, the happy and loving home that Mark had grown up in, but he stamps those feelings down as quickly as they rose. “I can see why you grew up the way you did,” Donghyuck tells him with a smile.

“Is that an insult?” Mark questions.

Donghyuck shakes his head. “You’re kind. Sometimes too nice for your own good, but that’s just how you are. And now I see why. Everyone in your life sounds like good people. You should keep surrounding yourself with people like them.”

Mark is silent for a few seconds. “What about you?” he asks slowly, as if he’s scared that Donghyuck will put up his walls again. “What about the people in your life?”

Donghyuck mulls over Mark’s question, trying to think of the best way to answer him. “Well,” he starts, “I’m sure you’ve already heard about my family. Or, at least, the rumors.”

“Seungmin told me that your family is something like royalty in this world,” Mark admits. “But I don’t know much other than that. I don’t really pay attention to the rumors, if you couldn’t tell.”

“Oh, I could tell,” Donghyuck snorts. “It amazed me during your first few weeks here just how oblivious someone could be to the whispers around them. Well, I guess Seungmin’s not far off. My father serves on the council, you see, and our family comes from a long line of witches, so I guess you could say we have a certain… _influence_ in the community.”

“Hyunwoo,” Mark remembers. “You…”

Donghyuck shrugs. “His family had it coming for them,” he says, finding it hard to feel pity. “His father was embezzling funds from the company for almost two years. It’s a miracle he didn’t get caught sooner.”

Mark purses his lips at that but doesn’t say anything, so Donghyuck continues.

“You already know that I had an older sister,” Donghyuck says. “My parents were disappointed to find out she was a girl, but it’d be a long while before I came along. Mother was frail for a while, which made, ah, conceiving another child difficult for her until she fully recovered.

“My sister…” Donghyuck trails off. “She didn’t show any signs of magic past the normal cut-off age, and still didn’t show signs of it even after she turned fourteen, which my family considered to be the last chance at her being quote, unquote, _normal_. My father was furious, of course, and my mother was so disappointed. They completely shunned her, and their attention turned to me.

“I’ve been called a genius since I was born,” Donghyuck says, eyebrows furrowed. “They had high expectations for me. They still do. Which is why I couldn’t afford to mess up.”

“That wasn’t fair to you, though,” Mark says quietly. “You were just a kid.”

Donghyuck shrugs. “My parents didn’t care how young I was. All they cared about was regaining the reputation they’d lost when their first child turned out to be completely human. To them, I was just a tool for them to use to get back to their original standing.”

Mark silently reaches out to grab Donghyuck’s hand, and Donghyuck lets him.

“My sister, though,” Donghyuck smiles, “was the best person in the whole world. She didn’t care if she couldn’t do magic and that our parents hated her for it. All she cared about was keeping the people around her happy.

“She’s the one who practically raised me. My mother was only around to make sure that I was staying on top of all my classes and that I wasn’t doing anything to mess up their reputation any more than it already was. My sister was the one who taught me how to do everything. She taught me how to cook, helped me with my homework, and picked me up from school. She was like the mother I didn’t have.”

Mark looks like he has questions, so Donghyuck nods at him, silently telling him to ask away. “What… happened to her?” he asks, and Donghyuck smiles, having expected this question.

“Her magic consumed her,” says Donghyuck. “Turns out, she _did_ have magic, but the years of abuse from our parents had caused her to unconsciously stamp it down whenever it tried to emerge, and it caused her to lose herself. Lose herself to her magic. It consumed her, leaving her mad, and it eventually destroyed her. She was sixteen.”

He waits for the cogs in Mark’s mind to finish turning, realization slowly dawning on his face. “So that’s why…”

“Yes,” Donghyuck admits. “That’s the reason I didn’t like you when you first arrived. I couldn’t understand why you were fine while she wasn’t, even though you’re the same age as she was when it happened. It took me a while to come to terms that with her, it was out of her control; It was the environment that we grew up in that caused her to go insane. Whereas with you, you’re just a really late-bloomer.”

Mark cracks a small smile at that, and Donghyuck smiles back.

“It took me a while to get over her death,” Donghyuck finishes. “If it weren’t for Jaemin and Jisung, I don’t think I ever would’ve.”

“Your sister sounds like she was wonderful,” Mark says quietly. “I wish I could’ve met her.”

“Me too,” Donghyuck says. “I wish you could’ve met her too. She would’ve loved you.”

Mark squeezes Donghyuck’s hand at that, and Donghyuck squeezes back.

 _I’m here for you_ , is what Mark tells him silently.

 _Thank you,_ Donghyuck replies.

｡:°ஐ

Once it seems like the attacks have subsided, everyone lets their guard down, which is their first mistake.

“I’m bored,” Jaemin announces. It’s a Saturday, and they’re all lounging around the common room, bored out of their minds. Trips to town have been halted in light of recent events, and so the students have been left to find something else to occupy their time during the weekends. “Can we go to the training area? I feel like I’m going to go crazy.”

Donghyuck shrugs. “I don’t mind.”

“Same.” Mark sighs, getting up from where he had been laying on Donghyuck’s lap. “I have another practical next week.”

“You have so many.” Renjun makes a face. “Sucks to be you.”

“Thanks, Jun. You really know how to make a guy feel better.”

“You’re welcome.” Renjun says.

And so, the seven of them head down to the training grounds. It’s a little past lunchtime, so none of them feel like there’s any harm in letting out steam for a while.

It’s there that Donghyuck realizes they’ve made a grave mistake, one that they’ll surely pay for.

“Seungmin?” Mark is the first one to find his voice again. “What are you… What are you doing?”

Seungmin gazes at them with an impassive expression. There are shadows dancing around him, the same ones that Donghyuck had seen in his dreams, the same ones that had attacked Mark. _Daeva._ Donghyuck wants to tell Seungmin to run away, but they’re not attacking him.

“Oh, dear,” Seungmin says, and Donghyuck flinches at the coldness in his tone. That’s not Seungmin, Donghyuck realizes in horror. “You guys weren’t supposed to be here. I wasn’t ready for you yet, but I suppose there’s no choice.”

With a flick of his wrist, they all go flying, and Donghyuck lets out a pained cough when he’s slammed onto the ground. Blinking away the dots that dance around his vision, he looks around and finds that his friends are scattered around the grounds. Seungmin slowly walks towards Mark, who’s struggling to get back up, and Donghyuck feels panic surging through his veins.

 _No,_ he thinks, and forces himself to stand up. He holds his arms out in front of him, one single thought running through his mind as he lets his magic run free, slamming into Seungmin, who goes flying.

He lands on his feet, much to Donghyuck’s dismay, but he’s quick to ignore it in favor of running towards Mark. “Chenle!” Donghyuck calls out, looking around the grounds desperately. He spots Chenle close to the doors, already starting to get back up. “Chenle, get out of here and go get help!”

Chenle looks like he wants to argue but one look at Donghyuck’s face has him running out of the training grounds as fast he can.

“Oh,” Seungmin sighs. “That won’t do.” Another flick of his wrist, and Donghyuck watches in horror as a daeva follows after Chenle.

“No!” Jisung shouts from somewhere to Donghyuck’s left, and Donghyuck doesn’t have time to protest before Jisung throws himself towards the daeva, somehow slamming into it despite daevas not having a physical body.

“What…” Mark breathes, watching with wide eyes as Jisung honest to gods _fights_ against the daeva. Jisung’s own shadows erupt around him and they battle the daeva, who lets out an inhuman screech at being interrupted. “How is he—?”

“Ah, I forgot about this boy’s particular gifts.” Seungmin lets out another sigh, as if this whole thing is an inconvenience to him. “What a bother.”

He disappears from view and appears again behind Jisung. In no time, Jisung goes flying and lands on the ground, laying there, unmoving.

“Humans,” Seungmin claps, watching in glee as Renjun runs over to where Jisung is laying. “So weak. So easy to subdue.” He sighs, shaking his head and dodging the fireball that comes flying his way. _Jaemin_. “So fun to play with,” Seungmin continues as he dodges the next one as well.

“Who are you,” Donghyuck snarls. “What did you do to Seungmin?”

The cruel smile on Seungmin’s face looks so, _so_ out of place that Donghyuck starts to feel sick. “I am named Abaddon the Destroyer, and today is your unlucky day.”

He waves his hand, and the ground erupts. Debris goes flying everywhere, and Donghyuck throws himself on top of Mark to shield him. He feels Mark fighting against his hold, screaming at Donghyuck to _cover yourself, dammit_ , but ignores him. Something hits him on the back of his head and Donghyuck has to bite his tongue to keep himself from crying out, vision going spotty for a few seconds. The winds die down and Donghyuck struggles to look up.

“Donghyuck,” Mark breathes out in horror. He feels the blood dripping down the side of his head. _“Donghyuck.”_

Donghyuck ignores him and looks around the area, freezing when he finds Renjun on top of Jisung, unmoving and _bleeding_. 

“You’re more resilient than most.” Seungmin’s voice—no, _Abaddon’s_ voice—is too close for comfort. Sure enough, when Donghyuck looks toward where the voice is coming from, Abaddon is almost right in front of them. He peers down at Donghyuck with interest. “Perhaps I should’ve chosen _you_ to be my vessel.”

A gust of wind knocks him off his feet, and Jaemin throws himself in front of Donghyuck and Mark, blocking them from a furious Abaddon.

“So we have a fighter, I see,” Abaddon snarls. “No matter. In the end, you’ll all be dead anyways.”

He waves his hands again, but this time Donghyuck is ready. He makes a barrier over the three of them, shielding them from the worst of the debris.

“Where’s Jeno?” he shouts over the sound of debris hitting the barrier.

“With Renjun and Jisung,” Jaemin shouts back, gritting his teeth as he helps Donghyuck keep the barrier up. “How’s your head?”

“Fine,” Donghyuck grunts.

“You two are more powerful than your peers.” Abaddon studies them. “Not like the rest.”

“Let Seungmin go,” Donghyuck growls. He’s trembling, he knows, but he can’t help it. Behind him, he knows that Renjun lays there unmoving, draped over Jisung’s body while Jeno shields them protectively. He remembers learning about Abaddon briefly in their history of magic class, and Donghyuck knows that if Abaddon decides to get serious, they’re done for.

Abaddon shakes his head in faux disappointment. “I never understood why you all like to say that as if telling me to ‘let him go’ will make me, well, _let him go_. You already know that I won’t, so why waste your breath?”

“It was you.” Jaemin realizes, voice shaking with fury. He’s bleeding too, Donghyuck notices, and he knows if they don’t get help soon, they’ll be in even more trouble than they already are. “You’re the one who was responsible for the daevas. You’re the one who hurt Mark.”

Abaddon claps his hands. “It was,” he croons. “Poor little Seungmin. He cried so much when he realized who the daeva were going after. He even tried to fight against my hold, but it was no use. What could he possibly do against me, right?” He laughs and Donghyuck feels goosebumps rising along his arms. “Foolish, foolish humans. So weak. So _pathetic_.

“Your boy tried to warn you,” Abaddon continues, feigning sympathy. He nods at Jisung and Donghyuck’s breath hitches. “His ghosts warned him, but what good was that, hmm? By the time the ghosts knew, by the time your _boy_ knew, it was too late.”

He turns to Mark and smiles cruelly. Donghyuck wants to throw up at the alien expression on Seungmin’s face. “I’ve been Seungmin since the start. It was me who befriended you, not him. You should be grateful, Mark. I was your first _real_ friend. When Donghyuck over there hated you. When Jaemin couldn’t stand being around you. It was me who you found comfort in.”

Mark is pale as he stares at Seungmin in horror. “What—?”

“Mark,” Donghyuck says harshly and grabs Mark’s hand. “Don’t listen to him. He’s trying to get into your head. That’s how he gets to you.”

“Oh!” Abaddon sounds delighted. “We have a smart one here, don’t we? Tell me, child, do you know who I am?”

“Abaddon,” Donghyuck gulps, “the archangel of destruction.”

“My old title.” Abaddon nods in approval. “Nowadays, I believe your kind calls me the father of all demons, which isn’t too far off the mark.”

“I read about him,” Mark whispers. “What are we going to do?”

Donghyuck tightens his grip on Mark’s hand. “Pray that Chenle gets to someone fast enough so that we don’t die.”

“We won’t die,” Jaemin declares quietly, eyes not leaving Abaddon. “I won’t let any of you die. Mark,” he glances over at Mark, who looks back at him with wide eyes, “go to Jeno and help him protect Renjun and Jisung.”

“What? What about you two—?”

“Don’t worry about us.” Donghyuck squeezes Mark’s hand one last time before letting go. “I’m not called a genius for nothing, you know.” When Mark hesitates, Donghyuck pushes him towards Jeno. “ _Go_.”

Abaddon watches them in amusement as Mark joins Jeno in shielding Renjun and Jisung. “Do you really think you can keep up with me?” he asks, artificial kindness coating his voice. _“Really?”_

 _No,_ Donghyuck thinks, but he puts on false bravado. “We’ll just have to see, won’t we, Abaddon?”

“Professor Song better give me an A for the semester,” Jaemin mumbles. “We’re about to fight the literal devil.”

“If he doesn’t, I’ll riot,” Donghyuck promises. “I’m going to sit outside his office for the rest of the semester and protest.”

Jaemin takes a stance. “We can’t hurt him,” he mumbles quietly so that Abaddon can’t hear. “If we hurt him, we’ll probably hurt Seungmin, too.”

Donghyuck sucks in a breath, following Jaemin and taking his own stance. “I know. Defensive magic only.”

Abaddon charges at them and Donghyuck immediately wants to curse himself and Jaemin for being stupid and thinking they could stand up against an actual devil. He can barely see as magic explodes all around them.

He can feel the exhaustion hitting him, coupled with the pain from his injuries. But he grits his teeth and ignores them, trying his best to keep Abaddon from reaching his friends. He throws up barrier after barrier, not allowing Abaddon’s magic to get past him or Jaemin.

Suddenly, there’s a bright flash of light, and Donghyuck cries out in pain as he’s thrown against the wall. Coughing, he tries to sit up but he’s held back by something. By someone.

“Shh, stop fighting,” they say. “You’re going to make your injuries worse.”

“Who…” Donghyuck chokes at the dust flying around them. He hears Abaddon scream profanities at something. “What?”

When he finally manages to get his eyes to open, he lets out a noise of surprise. “... Baekhyun?”

“Hey.” Baekhyun gives him a strained smile. “Sorry we’re late.”

Donghyuck lets the tears fall and he crumples into Baekhyun’s arms. They’re safe now.

“Baekhyun,” Donghyuck sobs. “He—Abaddon—my friend—”

“Shh,” Baekhyun says. “I know. Chenle filled us in. I’m going to put you to sleep now, okay, Duck? Go to sleep.”

“Don’t let them hurt Seungmin,” Donghyuck begs before the darkness takes him.

｡:°ஐ

The ceilings are unfamiliar when Donghyuck opens his eyes, and he feels panic bubbling up inside him. Before he can sit up all the way, there’s a hand on his chest that gently pushes him back down.

“Not yet.” Donghyuck turns his head and almost cries at the sight of Mark. “You hit your head pretty badly. The healers said to not let you sit up without them here.”

“You’re okay,” Donghyuck says. He reaches up and grabs the hand that’s on his chest to make sure Mark is real. “You’re okay,” he repeats.

Mark smiles softly. “I’m okay. And so are you.”

“What about—?”

“They’re all safe.” Mark pushes back Donghyuck’s fringe with his free hand. “Jaemin and Renjun both woke up yesterday. Jeno wasn’t too hurt, so he, Chenle, and I have been helping the healers look after you all.” He hesitates before he says his next words. “Jisung’s still asleep.”

Donghyuck lets out a soft whimper at that, and Mark squeezes his hand.

“What about… What about Seungmin?” Donghyuck asks quietly, afraid of the answer.

Mark doesn’t speak for a few, excruciating seconds. “They had to perform an exorcism on him,” he says finally. “It took a lot of toll on his body. But he’s okay. He’s alive. Asleep, but alive. Hyunjin and Minho are with him.” He points to the corner where there are curtains drawn around a bed, and Donghyuck can just barely make out two shadows sitting behind it.

Donghyuck really does cry at that, feeling relieved that they’re all okay. Mark wipes away the tears.

“How do you feel?” Mark murmurs once Donghyuck’s tears have subsided. “Any pain?”

“No,” Donghyuck mumbles. “Just a little disoriented.”

Mark lets out a soft laugh. “Yeah, I’ll bet. You were out for six days.”

Donghyuck’s breath hitches at that. “ _Six days_? What about—”

“Classes have been cancelled,” Mark assures him. “Until further notice, at least. They have to repair a lot of the academy before they can start up again. Abaddon was sending out the daevas to destroy the place when we accidentally caught him.”

“Oh,” Donghyuck mumbles. “So that’s what he meant when he said he wasn’t ready for us.”

“Yeah.” 

Mark plays with Donghyuck’s fingers, and they stay there as the silence envelops them. Once it gets too much for Donghyuck to bear, he asks Mark to fill him in on what he’s missed.

“Well.” Mark scrunches up his nose. “The west wing is completely destroyed, so it’s going to be a long time before we can take herbology again in the greenhouses. Renjun is furious about that. Uh, the rumor mill says that you and Jaemin completely subdued Abaddon, so right now you two are some sort of _heroes_ to everyone—”

“I think I’m in love with you,” Donghyuck blurts out. Mark freezes, looking at Donghyuck with wide eyes. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

“Oh.” Mark breathes out, and Donghyuck closes his eyes, preparing himself for the inevitable rejection. “That’s good.”

Donghyuck’s eyes fly open and he looks at Mark in shock. “What? Why is that good?”

“Because,” Mark says, “that means I can do this.”

He leans in, gently pressing his lips against Donghyuck’s. It’s a little gross, if Donghyuck’s being honest, seeing how he’s just woken up from a six day coma and hasn’t gotten the chance to brush his teeth yet. But he doesn’t really care, and it seems like neither does Mark.

Donghyuck brings his arms up to wrap them around Mark’s neck, bringing him in closer. He doesn’t know how long they stay there kissing, but Donghyuck doesn’t think he ever wants to stop.

They’re interrupted, however, by someone clearing their throat behind Mark. “No kissing in the infirmary.”

They both open their eyes in shock and Mark accidentally bites down on Donghyuck’s lower lip, _hard_ , causing Donghyuck to cry out in pain. “Ouch!”

“Oh, fuck,” Mark curses, wiping away the blood. “I’m so sorry, Hyuck—”

“ _Ahem_.” They both look up and find Baekhyun and Master Zhang staring down at them, one in glee and the other in exasperation. “Mr. Lee,” Master Zhang scolds. Donghyuck and Mark eye each other, wondering _which_ Lee he’s referring to. “You should know better than to behave like this in the infirmary.”

“Sorry, Master Zhang,” they chorus.

Master Zhang shoos Mark away while he looks over Donghyuck’s injuries. He had been worried about the head injury that Donghyuck had sustained, apparently, and is pleased to find out that there are no lasting effects.

“I was worried because you weren’t waking up,” Master Zhang admits. “But it seems that it’s the result of you exhausting your magic rather than the injury.”

He prescribes Donghyuck another day of bed rest before going off to check on Jisung and Seungmin. Mark is quick to retake his original place next to Donghyuck’s bed once Master Zhang is gone, and reaches out to take Donghyuck’s hand again.

“So.” The two of them jump, having forgotten that Baekhyun was still there. “I see you two have gotten _friendly._ ”

“Baekhyun,” Donghyuck says calmly. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to tell auntie about that time you snuck me alcohol at the Christmas party last year, and that that’s the real reason her favorite tapestry was ruined.”

“Okay, okay.” Baekhyun holds his hands up in surrender while Mark looks over at Donghyuck in awe. “I’m going now.” His face softens and he reaches over to ruffle Donghyuck’s hair. “You’re feeling okay, right?”

“Master Zhang just checked up on me, did he not?” Donghyuck grumbles but doesn’t protest at Baekhyun coddling him. “I feel fine. Now go away so I can ask Mark to be my boyfriend.”

“ _Donghyuck_ ,” Mark squawks in embarrassment while Baekhyun laughs loudly.

“Teenagers,” he sighs fondly. “You almost die and the first thing you do when you wake up is get yourself a _boyfriend_.” He sobers up quickly and gives Donghyuck a stern look. “Don’t ever do that again, though, okay? That was dangerous. _And_ foolish.”

“I know,” Donghyuck says quietly. “Sorry.”

Baekhyun smiles. “As long as you’re okay,” he says lightly. “Alright, I have some construction overseeing to do, so I’ll be back to check up on you later tonight. Behave, you two. No more kissing. You’re going to give poor Yixing an aneurysm.”

“I get it!” Donghyuck complains and swats at his cousin. “Go away, asshole.” Baekhyun laughs and waves goodbye, disappearing out the door, leaving an annoyed Donghyuck and a red-faced Mark behind. “Sorry about him,” Donghyuck sighs. “Baekhyun’s an asshole.”

“He saved our lives.” Mark shrugs. “Seems like a good person to me.”

Donghyuck gives him a judgmental look. “You need to raise your standards,” he tells him, and Mark giggles. Donghyuck thinks he’s going to die.

“It was a lot more anticlimactic than I thought it’d be,” Mark admits. His thumb is drawing random patterns on Donghyuck’s hand. “The end of everything, I mean.”

“What did you expect?” Donghyuck snorts. “That a bunch of teenagers would be able to take on a devil that’s thousands of years old and took over our friend’s body? You’ve watched too many movies, Mark.”

Mark glares at him with a pout, and Donghyuck is surprised at the sudden thoughts of wanting to kiss the pout away invading his mind. Then he realizes that he _can_ , and so he does as such. He smiles when he feels Mark flinch in surprise and leans back, giggling softly when Mark unconsciously chases after him.

“I need to brush my teeth,” Donghyuck declares. “And then you can kiss me again.”

Mark sighs. “Okay, fine. But only because hygiene is important.”

“And after I brush my teeth, I’m going to ask you to be my boyfriend.”

Mark chuckles, helping Donghyuck sit up. “Not if I ask you first.”

“It’s a challenge, then,” Donghyuck says and grins. Mark beams down at him and squeezes his hand a little tighter.

｡:°ஐ

The next few weeks are a blur. Jisung wakes up three days after Donghyuck does, much to everyone’s relief, but Seungmin doesn’t wake up until a full two weeks after. Tears are shed as he apologizes for everything, but nobody blames him, knowing that this had been out of his control. It’s a bit awkward between him and Mark, but they slowly rebuild their friendship from the beginning.

Classes resume once most of the academy is rebuilt, but the end of the year exams are cancelled, much to every student’s delight. Donghyuck and Jaemin are given an A in the rest of the practicals they have that year, Professor Song declaring that if they can survive against Abaddon and come out alive, then they would have no problem dealing with whatever he threw at them.

Everything else stays the same, so much so that sometimes Mark wonders if he’d dreamt up the whole thing. But then he’ll wake up in cold sweat with Abaddon’s laughter ringing in his ears, heart racing as he remembers Donghyuck’s body laying there motionless, and he remembers that it had been real.

“It’s just a dream,” Donghyuck comforts him when Mark bursts into his and Jaemin’s room to make sure they’re safe. Jaemin is disgruntled but doesn’t complain, knowing that the nightmares plague not just Mark but _all_ of them. “I’m here,” Donghyuck says. “I’m alive, and so are you.”

They’re all sent to counseling to make sure that they’re given the help they need after the experience, and Mark finds himself feeling better and better each day with Professor Cho’s gentle words and help.

(The fact that Donghyuck is there to hold his hand at the end of each day definitely helps too, but Mark doesn’t say it out loud in fear of inflating Donghyuck’s already astronomical ego.)

The school year eventually comes to an end, and Mark can’t look away from how foreign his room looks once all of his belongings are packed up and on their way back to Mark’s house.

“Done packing?” Donghyuck leans against the doorframe, smiling at him with a soft expression. “Everyone’s waiting, come on.”

“Coming.” Mark sweeps his eyes around the room one last time before grabbing his bag and walking towards Donghyuck, who’s holding his hand out for him. “What are your plans for break?”

Donghyuck hums. “I don’t know. I’ll probably do everything I can to stay away from home like usual. Might invade Jaemin’s house. Or maybe I’ll go bother Baekhyun at his apartment. You?”

“Catch up with my friends.” Mark shrugs. “Spend my days missing you.”

Donghyuck laughs at that. “Are you flirting with me?” he teases. “I’ll have you know that I already have a boyfriend who I love _very_ much.”

“Damn.” Mark snaps his fingers. “Guess I was too late.”

Jaemin, after overhearing their banter, contorts his face into one of disgust. “If you two are done being _gross_ , we’d like to get a move on now.”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Yes, yes. We’re coming.”

The seven of them leave the dorm for the last time that year. The next time they’re back, they’ll all be a year older, and Mark wonders if anything will change between them.

But one look at Donghyuck, who’s staring at him like he hung the stars in the sky, tells Mark that he has nothing to worry about.

Change or not, Mark knows that he has Donghyuck by his side. And that’s enough for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you've made it to the end, thank you for reading my fic!  
> i hope that it was enjoyable to read despite the mess + plot holes ;_;
> 
> comments are always appreciated! <3  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/misfitshyuck) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/kkondae)


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